B'nai Brith Canada is launching Canada's first hate incident mobile app.
The app allows users to report hate incidents and all the relevant details. It also allows photos of hate incidents to be shared.
The free app will be available for Android and Apple phones and in English and French. It can be found by searched the app store under the term “anti-hate.”
Data from the app will allow B’nai Brith to “take concrete action,” including sharing the information with law enforcement.
Confirmed data from the app will be anonymously compiled by B’nai Brith and included in their Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents published by B’nai Brith’s League for Human Rights.
“One of the consistent themes that have been expressed by people who have seen or experienced hate on Canadian streets is that it has been challenging to report certain incidents while on the go,” said B’nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn, “We are proud to be making this free and easy-to-use mobile app available to anyone.”
During the National Antisemitism Summit in July, the Canadian government admitted that there had been a discernible increase in anti-Semitism in Canada.
The Toronto Police Service and the Regional Municipality of York Police Services Board annual hate crime reports for 2020 found that hate crimes in Toronto had increased by more than 50 percent, while reported hate crimes in York Region increased by 20 percent.
In Toronto, the Jewish community, only a tiny fraction of the city's population, remained the most frequently-targeted group for hate crimes.
“B’nai Brith has long been the port of call for Jews and non-Jews experiencing anti-Semitism and hate in Canada – and continues to staff our Anti-Hate Hotline phone number. The challenge of combating hate requires an additional solution that is in the hands of everyday citizens,” said B’nai Brith in a statement.
Mostyn is confident that their app is the solution.
“We anticipate this app becoming a significant deterrent and tool in our fight against anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms,” he said.