jewish leaders call on montreal to tackle antisemitic violence
'we will not tolerate any discrimination or any antisemitic or islamaphobic acts whatsoever,' mayor valérie plante says
3 minute read
we apologize, but this video has failed to load.
try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
leaders within the jewish community are calling on the city of montreal and its police force to take more forceful action against antisemitic attacks amid an increase in violent incidents in the wake of the israel-hamas war. “the anti-jewish mob has successfully intimidated the police, the prosecutors, and the mayor,” rabbis adam scheier and reuben poupko wrote in an open letter wednesday. “their passivity in the face of violence and threats has sent a clear message to the mob: carry on, as long as you harass, intimidate and threaten jews, there will be no repercussions or criminal charges. it is open season on the jewish community of montreal.”
mayor valérie plante responded friday that the montreal police force has stepped up security and shown a strong presence at the more than 100 pro-palestinian protests staged in the city since october of last year.
“as mayor, everybody needs to feel safe and the jewish community needs to feel safe. we will not tolerate any discrimination or any antisemitic or islamaphobic acts whatsoever,” she said. “the (montreal police force) is there to make sure people feel safe and that they’re present when there are protests.”
there have been multiple instances of antisemitic violence and intimidation in montreal since the start of the war on oct. 7, 2023, when more than 1,200 people were killed in a hamas attack and 250 people were kidnapped. the incursion prompted a war in gaza that has resulted in more than 43,000 palestinians killed, according to the hamas-run health authority. on friday, the united nations human rights office said nearly 70 per cent of the 8,119 victims it has verified in the gaza war were women and children.
advertisement
since the start of the war last year, montreal jews have been the victims of repeated hate incidents that have included schools being shot at and synagogues and community centres damaged by firebombs.
five people found with incendiary devices near a synagogue and jewish institutions were arrested by montreal police in early october, on the eve of rosh hashanah, the jewish new year, and days before the one-year anniversary of the war. the suspects were charged and released pending their court date.
on tuesday night, about 40 pro-palestinian demonstrators staged a protest outside the shaar hashomayim synagogue in westmount. the synagogue was hosting a presentation by eylon levy, a former israeli government spokesperson and international media adviser to israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. montreal police said the protest was peaceful.
“we would like to see prosecutors take these crimes more seriously,” poupko said. “it seems that people can get away with the calls for violence and for aggressive demonstrations without consequence.”
members of the jewish community also object to the fact the suspects found with incendiary devices were released.
“the other issue is that we need to hear more clearly and forcefully from the mayor and from others, to give a clear denunciation of these acts. our perception is that the mob has successfully intimidated the university administrators, the police and the mayor.”
advertisement
plante countered those statements on friday, saying: “i feel like every time there’s a microphone, i’m there, i’m there and i’ve been there since day one of this war happening at the other side of the world.
“my job is to reiterate on and on, and i will continue to reiterate this message that antisemitism is not acceptable — this is not how our city is. the jewish community is extremely important for montreal and elsewhere in the world, just like all the other communities as well.
“but we also need to realize that this is a situation where it creates a lot of tension between people.”
amsterdam was the scene of a wave of antisemitic attacks thursday when israeli soccer fans were assaulted throughout the city, resulting in five hospitalizations for minor injuries and more than 60 arrests. footage also showed maccabi tel aviv supporters chanting anti-arab slogans before thursday evening’s match, reuters reported.
on friday, plante released a message on x, formerly known as twitter, condemning the violence.
“on behalf of myself and all montrealers, i condemn the terrible antisemitic attacks that occurred in amsterdam. at a time when the world is under tension, it is more necessary than ever to rally around the values of peace, solidarity and respect.”
