Canada
“We have become aware of potentially troubling statements,” said Chantalle Aubertin, a spokesperson for Arif Virani, Canada’s federal Attorney General and Justice Minister.
Falafel Yoni was listed on online boycott lists that called for boycotting businesses perceived as supporting Israel.
“It is disappointing that it took so long for the government to act on its commitment,” said Shimon Koffler Fogel, president and CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
The suspect faces multiple charges, including promoting hate.
“It felt like people needed to be there,” one attendee told JNS. “People needed to show up to stand with Israel.”
Melissa Lantsman, a member of the Canadian parliament, told JNS that hate crimes and bigotry against Jews had increased in the country by 150%.
Miriam Libicki is a graphic novelist and artist based in Vancouver.
“This deliberate act of hate was an attempt to intimidate our Jewish community,” stated religious and organizational leaders.
Police have pledged to increase their presence at Jewish schools across the city as a precautionary measure after the incident, the second of the kind in Canada in recent days.
Daniel Held at the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, called the attack “a deliberate attempt to spread fear across our entire Jewish community.”
Police are searching for two suspects following the incident at the Bais Chaya Mushka School for Girls in North York.
“Institutions have struggled to enforce their own policies effectively, leading to a lack of accountability and loss of confidence in the system,” said Shimon Koffler Fogel of the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
