Toronto police investigate ad truck with anti-Muslim messaging

The Toronto police hate crimes unit is investigating after video surfaced online of a mobile advertising truck displaying anti-Muslim digital images and messages.

In videos posted to social media, the truck appears to display a series of questions that say: "Is this Lebanon? Is this Yemen? Is this Syria? Is this Iraq?"

The truck then displays images of what appears to be Muslims praying and protesting in Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto. Palestinian flags and the square's concrete arches are visible in the images.

The messages on the truck then say: "No. This is Canada. Wake up Canada. You are under siege."

The lettering is in blue on a white background and clearly visible from several metres away.

Police are urging members of the public to come forward if they have information or video footage of the truck.

"We recognize the community's concern about a truck displaying Islamophobic messaging in Toronto," police said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a non-profit organization that describes itself as a 'leading voice for Muslim civic engagement,' says the messaging on the truck is designed to incite a fear of Muslims in Canada. (@SURJto/X)

Advocates have slammed the messaging as racist.

Amira Elghawaby, Canada's Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that she spoke to Toronto police's Muslim liaison officers to let them know she received several reports from Toronto residents expressing "deep concern, fear and anxiety" about the truck.

"This clear incitement to hate Muslims is deeply worrisome given the ongoing violence that our communities continue to experience, including most recently an arson in London, Ontario, as well as physical assaults of visibly Muslim women in Scarborough, Halifax, Ottawa, and elsewhere," Elghawaby said in the post.

"We do not want to see another Quebec mosque massacre, or Our London Family attack. We have already lost too many of our community members to deadly Islamophobic hate."

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a non-profit organization that describes itself as a "leading voice for Muslim civic engagement," said in a post on X Tuesday that the messaging on the truck is designed to incite a fear of Muslims in Canada.

"This is extremely dangerous messaging, and should not be condoned. We have seen Islamophobic hate kill in Canada, including in Ontario," the NCCM said.

"This public campaign is pure Islamophobia and hate," the NCCM continued.

"We are expecting all of our leaders to condemn this form of hate in Toronto. This needs to stop now."