Toronto Mayor Tory says rise in anti-Semitic attacks are 'unacceptable' and 'will not be tolerated in our city'

Toronto Mayor John Tory called out the recent rise in anti-Semitic attacks in Toronto Wednesday, saying that the acts are "absolutely unacceptable."

"I want to be very clear that anti-Semitic acts are absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our city,” said Tory in a news release posted to his Twitter Wednesday. "I have heard the valid concerns of the Jewish community and I stand with them against this hatred."

Tory states that on Tuesday, he met with member’s of Toronto’s Jewish community in addition to Councillors Pasternak, Colle, and Matlow, as well as Toronto Police Chief Jim Ramer to discuss the concerning rise in these incidents.

"We know from the Toronto Police Hate Crime Unit that the Jewish community was the most frequently victimized group in 2020. Anti-Semitic attacks have continued in 2021 with an extremely troubling rise in recent weeks and months," said Tory.

Tory stated that the Toronto community "includes survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants" who "know all too well the danger of antisemitism and the tragedies that follow when it is allowed to stand unchallenged."

He said that as a city, they are committed to confronting all forms of antisemitism, adding that Toronto Police will be supported in their pursuit of hate crimes. He urges Toronto resident who witness anti-Semitic incidents to report it to Police, and to "never be afraid to stand up to antisemitism."

A recent report by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto highlighted just how drastic the increase in these incidents was in May. There were more than 50 anti-Semitic incidents reported in the GTA in May, which increased five times from the month prior.

One of these reports recently was the vandalism of a Kensington Market store, where the new storefront was marked with graffiti referring to the Holocaust.

Toronto police told CP24 in a recent email that "in response to recent global events, high visibility uniform patrols are being conducted across the city to provide reassurance to all community members that may feel vulnerable to crimes motivated by hate or bias."

The statement continued by stating that Chief Ramer “has been clear that the Toronto Police Service will investigate every alleged hate crime and lay charges when warranted.”

The rise in anti-Semitic incidents correlates with the recent break out of violence between Israeli defense Forces and Hamas, with thousands of rockets fired between the two forces, killing hundreds.