B’nai Brith Canada on Sunday strongly condemned the ongoing failure by authorities to prevent or impose sanctions on hateful rallies targeting Israeli Jews in downtown Toronto.
On Saturday, the organization said in a statement, protesters gathered near Yonge-Dundas Square, shutting down part of Canada’s busiest street under the watchful eye of police.
The event was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), an openly pro-terrorism outfit that also organized the infamous event of May 15, 2021, where Jewish counter-protesters were beaten and harassed.
At this latest protest, according to B’nai Brith Canada, attendees shouted in Arabic: “Let’s speak openly – we don’t want to see any Zionists!,” while organizers referred to Israel, the world’s only Jewish State, as “the Zionist State.”
Other chants asserted that “From the water to the water, Palestine is Arab!” and proclaimed support for an “Intifada,” or violent attacks on Israeli Jews.
Protesters also chanted: “We don’t want no two states, we want ‘48” and “Smash the Zionist settler state,” making it clear that they would accept nothing but Israel’s complete destruction and the expulsion – or worse – of its Jewish population.
Issam al-Yamani, a former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group, who faces deportation from Canada, addressed the crowd. Other speakers praised Khalida al-Jarrar, a senior political leader of the PFLP currently serving time for facilitating the murder of Israeli teenager Rina Shnerb.
B’nai Brith Canada noted that City of Toronto policy provides that “Public space, facilities and properties within the jurisdiction of the City of Toronto will not be available or accessible to any individual or group that promotes views and ideas which are likely to promote discrimination, contempt or hatred for any person or group” on the basis of race, citizenship, ancestry or religion, among other grounds.
However, to B’nai Brith’s knowledge, this policy has never been applied to anti-Semitic demonstrations in Toronto.
“Enough is enough. We have seen in recent months how antisemitic rhetoric bleeds into violent assaults on Jews in Toronto,” said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada. “It is high time for local authorities to start equally enforcing the laws and policies that are supposed to protect all Torontonians.
“This is not a freedom of speech issue. By consistently tolerating illegal rallies filled with discriminatory rhetoric, escalation is the only predictable outcome. We demand that Jews and Israelis in Toronto receive full equality under the law, which can only be achieved through the equal enforcement of the rule of law,” he added.
B’nai Brith Canada has documented a surge in anti-Semitism in Toronto in recent months.
In May, the organization reported that for the third week in a row, anti-Semitism and support for terrorism were on display at a massive protest in downtown Toronto.
A week earlier, at another downtown Toronto protest, attendees threatened Jews by recalling the Battle of Khaybar, in which the ancient Jewish community of Arabia was killed or expelled.
Also in May, a Jewish-owned business in the Kensington Market area was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti which included references to gas chambers.
Several weeks ago, Toronto police launched an investigation after chairs in Downsview Park were spray painted with swastikas.
Last month, Toronto police arrested a man with a drawing of a swastika on his chest in connection with two separate incidents in which anti-Semitic slurs were hurled at victims.