Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said hate crimes is at an all time high in this city.
The deadly war in the Middle East has led to a spike of hate crimes in Toronto with more than 300 incidents so far this year, police say.
“The impacts of the events in the Middle East on Toronto are ongoing, including a concerning rise in reported hate crimes,” Chief Myron Demkiw said at a Police Services Board meeting on November 23.
He said between January 1 and November 23, there were 323 reported hate crimes in Toronto, compared to 224 during the same time last year.
Included in those numbers were 129 reported anti-Semitic hate crimes and 34 reported anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab hate crimes.
The war in the Middle East has led to increased hate crimes and graffiti in Toronto and across the world.
Demkiw said in the last month, from October 7 to November 20, there were 78 hate crimes reported, as compared to 22 last year. This included 38 reported anti-Semitic hate crimes, versus 13 during the same period last year, and 17 reported anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab hate crimes compared to one during the same period last year.
“There has also been a marked increase in reported hate crimes targeting LGBTQ2S+ communities during this period,” he said, adding there were nine incidents compared to five the same time last year.
Among all of the hate crimes reported between October 7 and November 20, some 49 per cent have been anti-Semitic.
A police Hate Crime Unit has been expanded and web form now online to tackle some of the hate. Photo courtesy of City News.
The expanded Hate Crime Unit since October 7 has been responsible for 25 arrests and 64 charges laid in relation to reported hate incidents.
In early November, police increased the size of its Hate Crime Unit from six officers to 21 investigators and eight Special Constables, along with an analyst and researcher.
“This is being done by temporarily re-assigning members from other areas of the Service in order to prioritize the response to these crimes and expand investigative capacity,” the Chief said.
The Service also launched a new web form on TPS.ca to provide an avenue for the public to alert police to hate-motivated graffiti.
The website allows officers to attend, gather evidence and arrange for the hate-motivated graffiti to be removed as quickly as possible.
The site is monitored 24 hours and police have received 90 web submissions so far.
Toronto Police have also stepped up patrols in different communities to tackle the hate.
He said in the last month there has been ‘a significant spike in reported hate-related graffiti,’ with 63 occurrences that were anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab, compared to two the same period last year.
There have been 217 hate graffiti occurrences that were anti-Semitic since October 7. Last year, there were 19 reported at the same time period.
The Service has stepped up their presence in communities across the city to ensure safety and provide residents with a sense of security.
“The impact of crime motivated by hate is far-reaching, and extends beyond the physical and emotional trauma suffered by the victim,” Demkiw told the Board. It affects “all members of the targeted community.”
He warned that police will not allow the people of our city to be intimated.
“Violence and hateful acts will not be tolerated,” he said. “The Service and our Hate Crime Unit will aggressively pursue any suspected incidents of hate motivated behaviour.”