Canada faces 'scary rise' in anti-Semitism after war in Middle East: PM Trudeau
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
There had been a "steady rise" in anti-Semitism in Canada even before the Israel-Palestinian conflict, said Mr Trudeau.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday cited a marked rise in anti-Semitism in Canada, following Palestinian Islamist group Hamas' attack on Israel Israel's subsequent deadly air strikes in Gaza.
"Since this conflict broke out, there has been a very scary rise of anti-Semitism here at home," Mr Trudeau said at a conference on fighting anti-Semitism.
Even prior to the conflict, he said, there had been a "steady rise" in anti-Semitism.
Mr Trudeau listed reports of a possible hate crime at a Jewish high school in Toronto last week, fears among some people of visiting synagogues due to a possibility of being attacked, and heated online rhetoric, as examples of the rising anti-Semitism in Canada.
Police in Toronto, Canada's largest city, said they arrested three men last Thursday after they made threats at the Community Hebrew Academy. Police have increased patrols in Jewish cultural centres and synagogues, as well as Muslim mosques and other places of worship.
The Canadian prime minister also condemned Hamas and said he supported Israel's right to self-defence, while drawing a strong line between Hamas and pro-Palestinian voices.
"Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, nor their legitimate aspirations. They do not speak for Muslim or Arab communities, and they do not represent the better future that Palestinians or their children deserve," Mr Trudeau said.
The Oct 7 rampage by Hamas on southern Israeli communities left 1,300 people dead, and around 200 were taken into Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip as hostages.
Since then, Israel has bombarded Gaza where health authorities said at least 3,000 people have been killed. A hospital attack on Tuesday
