Toronto police are investigating reports that antisemitic images were displayed during a demonstration held Sunday near Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue in the district of North York, an area at the heart of Toronto’s Jewish community, reported The Toronto Star.
The neighborhood sees nearly weekly anti-Israel demonstrations, which include violent anti-Israel chants. During a protest in November of 2024, anti-Israel protesters were filmed reenacting the final moments of Hamas leader and October 7th massacre orchestrator Yahya Sinwar.
On Monday evening, police confirmed they are aware of photos circulating online showing protesters carrying signs featuring offensive caricatures of Jewish people and symbols at the most recent protest.
“Hate Crime Unit investigators are consulting with the Ministry of the Attorney General regarding promotion of hatred offences under the Criminal Code," Toronto police wrote in a statement posted on social media.
Media relations officer Stephanie Miceli said officers were present at the demonstration.
“Promotion of hatred is a hate propaganda (hate speech) offence which requires the Attorney General’s consent to lay charges. These charges are often laid at a later time," Miceli said, according to The Star.
Miceli added that police do not release “operational details" such as the number of officers who attend demonstrations.
Toronto city councilor Josh Matlow, who represents Toronto-St. Paul’s, condemned the signs in a post on social media.
“No matter the cause, you’re not allowed to harass people where they live or target them with hate," he wrote. “Our Jewish community, like everyone, should be able to rely on their governments and police to keep them safe and never allow this kind of criminal behavior to be normalized."
Following the protest, Jewish leaders from three major community organizations sent a letter to Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw condemning the antisemitic rhetoric and imagery displayed at the demonstration and calling for immediate enforcement of Canada’s hate laws.
In a joint statement, the organizations warned that extremist protesters openly threatened violence and glorified terrorism during the event.
“This weekend, extremist protesters in Toronto openly threatened violence, glorified terrorism, and displayed imagery portraying Jewish people as sub-human - echoing the incitement of the Nazi era. These acts are not abstract; they are a direct assault on the safety and dignity of our communities and the values Canada claims to uphold in its public square," the statement read.
“As of today, no arrests have been made. This lack of enforcement sends a dangerous signal: that de-escalation may take priority over upholding the law. Jewish communities are left asking a stark question: if depictions of Jews as vermin and calls for the destruction of the Jewish state do not meet the threshold for Canada’s hate propaganda laws, what does?"
The statement also noted that authorities in other countries have adopted a more proactive approach in response to antisemitic threats.
“Globally, law enforcement is recognizing the dangers of inaction. Following the Manchester synagogue attacks in the UK, authorities moved from passive crowd management to proactive enforcement of incitement laws. Here in Toronto, police officers are trained to identify and respond to antisemitism and hate-motivated incidents-but this training appears not to have informed an immediate response to the egregious symbols and rhetoric displayed this weekend."
The organizations also cited recent security concerns facing the Jewish community.
“Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Centa recently emphasized that public security depends on enforcing existing criminal laws. Yet, synagogues are being targeted by gunfire, and extremist mobs march through Jewish neighborhoods while the status quo persists. This is not just unacceptable-it is a growing threat to innocent life."
“We demand that the Toronto Police Service take immediate, decisive action to protect our communities and enforce the law against hate and incitement. Our city’s safety depends on it."
Michelle Stock, Vice President for Ontario at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said the imagery and threats seen at the protest were intended to intimidate the Jewish community.
“The imagery and threats displayed this weekend are not protest-they are hate. They are designed to terrorize our community and normalize violence against Jewish people. We have laws on the books for a reason. Every day that these acts go unpunished, every image left unchecked, sends a clear message: hatred is tolerated. That is unacceptable, and Toronto Police must act now to enforce the law and protect our community," she said.
Richard Robertson, Director of Research and Advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, said the display of antisemitic posters should be treated as a criminal matter.
“The display of antisemitic posters at a public protest is not a form of peaceful assembly. It is a crime. It must be investigated as such. If warranted, charges must be laid. There must be a zero tolerance for the wilful promotion and incitement of hatred. When protests incite and promote hate, they must be shut down."
Sara Lefton, Chief Development Officer at United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto, warned that antisemitic rhetoric can lead to violence.
“With three synagogues being shot at over the span of one week, we are witnessing firsthand how hateful words and images directed at the Jewish community, such as those displayed on Sunday, have turned into hateful acts of violence. This is predictable and what we have been warning of for years. We need the police to step up right now and start charging these people with incitement of hatred, which is clearly defined in Canada’s Criminal Code."
Toronto and the area have seen a sharp uptick in antisemitism since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Most recently, shots were fired at Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Synagogue in Vaughan, just north of Toronto, one of the largest Orthodox synagogues in North America. No one was injured in the incident, though the building sustained damage.
In a separate incident that same night, Toronto police said shots were also fired at the Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue in the city. As in the earlier attack, no injuries were reported, but the synagogue building was damaged.
Days earlier, gunfire struck Temple Emanu-El in North York, as members of the congregation were marking the Jewish holiday of Purim. There were no injuries but the building was damaged.
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.
Last week, the federal government of Canada announced that it will allocate $10 million to help Jewish communities strengthen security at their institutions.