Two incidents of what police are calling hate-motivated vandalism targeting both Jewish and Palestinian institutions in Winnipeg, Canada, over the weekend have prompted a police investigation and renewed calls from community leaders to confront rising hate in the city.
The Winnipeg Police Service held a news conference on Monday to address the incidents, which included antisemitic graffiti at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, a Conservative synagogue, and damage to Palestinian-owned Habibiz Cafe.
Jen McKinnon, of Winnipeg’s major crimes unit, said both incidents “appear to be motivated by hate, but certainly cause fear and harm” and are being investigated by hate crimes investigators within the major crimes unit.
“The victims are not isolated to those on the receiving end of the harmful actions,” she added, stating that “these incidents affect all of us and have detrimental impact on our entire community.”
On Jan. 2, police received a report of vandalism from Congregation Shaarey Zedek and found “antisemitic graffiti in the form of swastikas” painted by “a lone male suspect at approximately 4:30 that morning,” McKinnon stated.
Gustavo Zentner, vice president for Manitoba and Saskatchewan at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, called the vandalism of the synagogue “a vile anti-Jewish hate crime.”
“Words are not enough,” Zentner stated. “Leaders at all levels of government and authorities must back up their condemnations with concrete action to hold perpetrators accountable and address the sources of hatred.”
On Jan. 4, police responded to a second incident at Habibz Cafe, where a suspect “smashed the front windows of the restaurant” and “a threatening note was located outside the restaurant.”
McKinnon noted that while she does not believe there is a connection between the two incidents, she is “cautious because it is still very early in the investigation.”
