Anti-Israel extremists vandalized Cedarvale Park in Toronto on Monday, the day on which the Jewish community rejoiced as Hamas released 20 living hostages from captivity.
Photos from the scene showed the park painted with red graffiti including the words “Palestine Free”, “From the River to the Sea”, “Palestine Forever” and “Death to the IDF”.
Toronto police responded to the scene, and the City of Toronto has been notified.
Josh Landau, Director, Government Relations (Ontario), Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) condemned the vandalism in a statement.
"We are deeply disturbed by the antisemitic graffiti discovered in a Toronto park - a space frequented by Jewish families, nestled in the heart of our community and surrounded by Jewish homes, synagogues, and schools. On the very day that twenty hostages were reunited with their loved ones in Israel, our community here was reminded once again that hate knows no borders,” he said.
“While we celebrate their safe return, we cannot overlook the reality that Jewish Canadians continue to face threats and intimidation at home. Hateful acts like this graffiti aim to instill fear - but they will only strengthen our resolve to stand proudly, visibly, and united as a community," added Landau.
HonestReporting Canada noted that the vandalism took place even after a ceasefire in Gaza took effect, “Because it's never been about a ceasefire, but about their bloodthirsty hatred for Israel.”
“When media, politicians and police pretend these are just peace activists, and not violent fanatics, they are gaslighting all of society,” added the organization.
Toronto has seen an uptick in anti-Israel incidents since the start of the war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
In March, Toronto Police charged a local man with 29 offenses, including multiple hate crimes, in connection with a surge of antisemitic attacks and threats against the city’s Jewish community.
Data released by the Toronto Police Service in May found that the city experienced a historic high in reported hate crime incidents in 2024, with the Jewish community, once again, being the leading target.
Also in May, Toronto Police announced an arrest in connection with a series of suspected hate-motivated threats targeting the Israeli community.
The arrest came after multiple alarming social media posts surfaced between Wednesday, May 21, 2025, and Saturday, May 24, 2025, explicitly threatening harm. Basel Al-Sukhon, 26, of Toronto, was taken into custody and charged with uttering threats and indecent communications.
In late August, Toronto police launched an investigation after eggs were hurled at the Yorkville Jewish Centre in the city. Surveillance footage, shared by the Centre on Instagram, shows a man throwing eggs from a carton while shouting an obscenity at the building.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Simchat Torah and Shmini Atzeret in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)