Jewish advocacy groups are urging the Canadian government to adopt “concrete measures” after three Jewish‑owned businesses in Montreal’s Saint‑Laurent borough were vandalized with swastikas on March 3, according to police and local reports.
Montreal police said they were called about 3 a.m. on Wednesday after someone reported graffiti on the storefront of a pharmacy on St. Louis Street. Officers found “hate‑related graffiti” on the pharmacy and on a neighbouring kosher butcher shop and Italian kosher restaurant, Gourmetti.
The marks have since been removed, police said, and the case has been referred to the hate crimes unit. No arrests have been announced.
“Concrete and effective measures need to be taken by governments, at the municipal, provincial and federal levels, to fight the rise in antisemitism,” Julien Corona, director of strategic communications and public relations for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, told JNS.
Corona said that while the group has no knowledge of current active threats, “these Nazi signs and this new heinous act must act as a reminder to politicians of the need for these concrete measures.”
“This reminds us that no one wants hatred to take root in Quebec and undermine the fabric of our society,” Corona told JNS. “Displaying a Nazi swastika is completely contrary to Quebec’s values. It has no place in our society.”
In a joint statement, CIJA and the Federation CJA condemned the vandalism as part of a broader wave of antisemitic incidents in Montreal since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, while noting the March 3 shooting at a Toronto synagogue.
“Following the publication of this attack, many decision-makers will come forward to offer their sympathy and support, but it is not enough,” the groups stated, adding that “the thugs that are responsible for this rise in hatred” must be held accountable.
Paola Samuel, B’nai Brith Canada’s regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, told JNS that the attacks “did not occur in isolation.”
“This is a symptom of a national crisis, and we cannot wait any longer for our government to act,” she said, urging the government to swiftly pass Bill C‑9 to strengthen Canada’s hate‑crime laws. She also called on the newly announced Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion to prioritize antisemitism and the government to create a royal commission to study the country’s rising Jew-hatred.
“Antisemitism is a national crisis and requires the same attention given to past crises and a whole-of-government response to confront it,” she told JNS.
