Law finally acts, but unchecked anti-Israel radicalism keeps fueling antisemitic crimes against Jews across Canada.
Nearly a year after antisemitic flyers were allegedly distributed in Toronto’s west end, police have finally charged a 62-year-old man with willful promotion of hatred against the Jewish community, according to the Canadian Jewish News.
The suspect allegedly handed out hate material near Bloor Street and Lansdowne Avenue on January 2, 2025. Under Canadian law, such charges require approval from the Ontario Attorney-General, underscoring the seriousness of the offense. If convicted, the court may treat bias, hate, and prejudice as aggravating factors in sentencing. The accused is scheduled to appear in court on February 3, 2026.
While the charge is welcome, it arrives against a backdrop of failure.
Toronto is experiencing a historic surge in antisemitism, with police data confirming that Jews remain the most targeted community for hate crimes in 2024. This spike did not happen in a vacuum. It followed the October 7 Hamas massacre and the subsequent wave of anti-Israel agitation that spilled into Western streets—often rebranded as “activism,” yet manifesting as threats, vandalism, and exclusion of Jews.
Recent incidents paint a grim picture:
- Mezuzahs stolen from a seniors’ housing building near Bathurst and Steeles
- A Jewish woman ejected from an Uber after her identity was revealed
- Ten attacks in 18 months on Kehillat Shaarei Torah synagogue
- Anti-Israel rioters storming an event with IDF veterans, leading to arrests
This is not “criticism of Israel.” It is antisemitism, plain and simple—enabled by years of moral confusion in which Hamas terror is relativized, Palestinian political narratives are accepted without accountability, and Jewish safety is treated as negotiable.
Israel confronts hatred with clarity and enforcement. Canada is only beginning to do so—late, cautiously, and under pressure. Charging a single flyer distributor matters, but it does not solve the broader problem: a permissive climate where anti-Israel extremism metastasizes into attacks on Jews.
Justice must be consistent, swift, and unapologetic. Anything less signals tolerance—and tolerance is exactly what hate exploits.
