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Toronto police’s hate crimes unit is investigating an incident in which a van was driving around the city broadcasting “Islamophobic” videos.
A video posted on social media showed an advertising van playing a video that read: “Is this Yemen? Is this Syria? Is this Iraq?” The video then showed an image of Muslims praying, followed by the text: “Wake up, Canada. You are under siege.”
“This van ad is an attempt to suggest that Canadian Muslims and collective prayer are threatening and dangerous,” Amira Elghawaby, the federal government’s special representative for combating Islamophobia, told CTV News. “We’re really on edge when hate is directed at our communities, and this is just another example of why people are really concerned.”
El Gawabi said the message displayed on the truck went beyond freedom of expression and stoked fear among the Muslim community.
“We don’t want to see another Quebec mosque massacre or London home attack,” she said.
Al Gawabi noted that Islamophobic and anti-Semitic hate speech online has increased by 500 percent, with such content surging since the October 7 attacks and the start of the Gaza war.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, a US-based Jewish advocacy group, anti-Semitic content on X, formerly Twitter, surged 919% in the month after October 7, and on Facebook it surged 28%. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based advocacy group, said anti-Muslim hate speech on X surged 422% in the days after the October 7 attack.
Canadian cities have also seen an increase in hate crimes, including in Toronto, where nearly 190 such incidents have been reported to Toronto police so far this year. Nearly half of those were related to anti-Semitism.
“Let’s be clear, there is an anti-Semitism crisis in this country,” Richard Marceau of the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs told CTV News. “Now is the time to act. Talking is not enough, now is the time for political leaders to actually take action to address this issue.”
Masaud wants police and political leaders to do more to protect members of the Jewish community, including around synagogues and schools that have been the target of violence.
When it comes to hate speech, El Gawabi urged Canadians to speak out.
“Canada’s values of pluralism, diversity, respect for people of all backgrounds, those values should be our north star at this moment,” she said.
It’s unclear who organized and funded the purchase of the truck, but Toronto police confirmed they have received numerous reports from the public about the incident and are asking anyone with photos or videos of the truck to come forward.
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