Five Charged With Promoting Hatred Against Jewish Community During Toronto Protest

Five people have been arrested and charged with wilful promotion of hatred after anti-Semitic signs were displayed during a protest in Toronto.

Toronto police say five suspects attended a demonstration on March 15 at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West, a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood, where protesters and counter-protesters clashed over support for Israel.

The Counter-Terrorism Security Unit of the Toronto police, which includes the Hate Crimes Unit, executed search warrants in Toronto and the Durham Region on May 31, police said in a press release. Investigators seized “clothing and devices” during the search, the June 1 release says.

“This is an example of what we mean when we say that arrests and charges can come at any time after an incident. We will continue to be relentless in following the evidence to hold those who commit criminal acts of hate accountable,” Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said in the release.

Hosaam Hemdan, 19; Omer Turcan, 43; Hasan Aydin, 48; Yasaf Shaikh, 46, all of Toronto; and Syed Hussaini, 43, of Whitby, have been charged with wilful promotion of hatred and public incitement of hatred in connection with the protest. Hemdan, Turcan, and Hussaini are also charged with wearing a disguise with intent.

All five attended a bail hearing on May 31 at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre.

The May 31 arrests follow an earlier arrest in connection with the investigation.

Toronto police also arrested a suspect on April 2 after another demonstration. Police say a man marched toward a group of pro-Israel demonstrators holding an anti-Semitic sign and shouting slurs. Muhammad Anas Sial, 33, has been charged in connection with the incident.

Police also executed a number of search warrants across Toronto following that arrest, seizing signs, phones, laptops and other items from people connected with the ongoing investigation.

Demkiw posted to social media on April 2 after the arrest saying there would be a greater police presence in the city, including near synagogues.

The arrests come amid a rise in violent and hate-motivated incidents targeting the Jewish community across the Greater Toronto Area, where police have reported a sharp increase in hate crimes since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Prime Minister Mark Carney visited a Toronto synagogue on June 1 to present new measures to tackle anti-Semitism. Carney said his government has formed a new body, Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion, that is tasked with researching what is behind the rise of anti-Semitism in Canada and come up with a “whole-of-government approach” to tackle the issue.