Toronto's Jews are longer safe, MP pens in letter to mayor, top cop

Stop pointing fingers and enforce the law.

That was the message York Centre MP Roman Baber had for Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw as anti-Jewish extremism explodes in the city, emboldened by inaction and tolerance by city officials and police.

“The weekly Sunday protests at the northeast corner of Bathurst and Sheppard are meant to intimidate and antagonize local residents,” Baber wrote in his letter on Friday.

“They are not peaceful protests, since they include threats and disturb the peace in a residential neighbourhood.”

Toronto’s Jews under siege

Far-left, Islamist and anti-Israel activists have embarked on an extended campaign of harassment and intimidation of Toronto’s Jews since the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks that saw hundreds of Palestinian terrorists conduct a campaign of murder, kidnapping and sexual assault against Gaza-adjacent towns in Israel.

Groups of masked and keffiyeh-wearing activists conduct regular rallies on Toronto streets, targeting Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, community centres and schools — with masked groups even leading intimidation marches through Toronto’s Jewish neighbourhoods.

Baber, one of Parliament’s most prominent voices against Canada’s spike in anti-Jewish hatred, told the Toronto Sun that the city’s Jews are no longer safe.

“I’d like Demkiw to enforce the rule of law, and that means calls to violence in any language should be an arrestable offence,” Baber said.

“Or when a group of masked thugs march through a residential neighbourhood, they attempt to instill fear in local residents and deprive them of lawful enjoyment of their property.”

Hate in Canada spiralling

Canada is experiencing a worrying spike in anti-Jewish hate crimes, fuelling concerns that an anti-Jewish terror attack in this country is inevitable.

Baber also pointed to recent changes in police policy in the U.K., where cops promise to now arrest any protester chanting in support of the intifada.

“Globalize the intifada” — while dismissed by apologists as a benign call to action — is a phrase largely understood to be a siren call to spread the violent Palestinian uprising against Israel around the world, and carry out terror attacks against western society, such as last Sunday’s massacre against a Hannukah event on Bondi Beach in Australia.

“I don’t understand why such criminal behaviour are not grounds for arrest and prosecution. Instead, what we see is finger-pointing between the mayor’s office, the chief of police and the Crown,” Baber said.

“Enough is enough, we expect the leadership to take ownership of the situation and protect the Jewish community.”

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume