Canada - November 2023

An increase in hate crimes in Canada has been recorded since the October escalation of violence between Hamas and Israel. In Montreal, Molotov cocktails were set alight outside a synagogue and a Jewish community centre, and gunfire was reportedly directed against two empty Jewish schools.

According to Montreal Police, since 7 October and as of early November, 48 hate incidents targeting the Jewish community had been recorded, as well as 17 hate incidents targeting the Arab-Muslim community. This constitutes a significant increase, given that during all last year, 238 incidents were recorded in total.

Clashes and tension between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters have also been reported, including in Montreal’s Concordia University, where a student was injured, and another charged with assault.

Sources: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, The Globe and Mail (1), The Globe and Mail (2)