Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Toronto police have seen an increase in calls about hate crimes. Pushil Pradhan said so.
At a Toronto Police Services board meeting Thursday, Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the number of daily hate calls received by police has increased by 132 percent since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The increase in hate-motivated incidents is a reflection of that. At the same time, people’s anxiety also increased. Hate crimes are investigated by the police and include vandalism, death threats and criminal mischief.
From Jan. 1 to Oct. 7 of this year, Toronto police received 237 calls related to hate crimes. This number was 192 in the same period of the previous year. In the first few days of the war, from October 7 to October 9, an additional 14 hate crimes were reported by the police. At this time in 2022, there were only 5 incidents of hate crime recorded in the police register and only one in 2021.
Of the 14 hate crimes recorded in police records, 12 were related to anti-Semitism, Demcu said. Two were related to Muslim hatred and Islamophobia.
“Our message is clear and our position is firm,” Demcu said. That is, the Toronto Police Service will not tolerate any form of violence, intimidation or hatred of any person or community. We will support legitimate protests. We will always be mindful of our service to our community and city residents.
Toronto police have stepped up their presence in Jewish and Palestinian communities and their synagogues and other places of worship since Hamas launched a surprise attack in Israel. 1,400 people were killed in the attack by Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist by the Canadian government.
In addition, they arrested 200 people. In response, Israel carried out several airstrikes. Also bombarded Gaza Strip. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 3,500 people were killed in these attacks. More than 12 thousand were injured.
