A former cab driver was recently charged in Montreal for assaulting a Jewish man in a parking garage, according to the Montreal Gazette.
Video footage of the altercation on July 28 shows a kipah-clad man taking a photo of a taxi driver, who then gets out of the car and punches the victim repeatedly until a parking supervisor intervenes.
According to B’nai Brith Canada, which called the attack a hate crime, the victim was waiting for the taxi to move from the entrance of the building’s underground garage when the driver allegedly yelled, “I won’t move for any f***ing Jews.”
The victim tried taking a photograph of the taxi to file a complaint.
The cab driver fled the scene after the attack, though his company, Taxi Champlain, discovered his identity and fired him.
Police arrested the driver on Aug. 21; his charges were not revealed. He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 18.
“It is comforting to learn that the alleged perpetrator of this shocking hate crime has been charged,” said Michael Mostyn, chief executive officer of B’nai Brith. “Violent attacks such as this one cannot be tolerated and must always be met with severe legal consequences.”
B’nai Brith Canada’s annual audit showed 1,809 anti-Semitic attacks involving harassment were reported in 2018 across Canada, up from 1,409 in 2017. Reported anti-Semitic incidents in Quebec increased by almost 50 percent in 2018 from 2017, more than in any other region of the country.
