Man Charged for Indecent Act at Place of Worship in Toronto While Shouting Anti-Semitic Slogans

Toronto police have arrested and charged a man with two counts of mischief for allegedly urinating on the steps of a place of worship while shouting anti-Semitic slogans.

Police say the incident occurred the night of June 4 at an undisclosed place of worship near the intersection of Woodbine Ave. and Queen St. East in Toronto when 22-year-old Domenic Buchanan allegedly approached the location, urinated on the steps while shouting anti-Semitic phrases, and then ran away.

Buchanan was taken into police custody and charged July 12 and will make his first court appearance on Aug. 19. In addition to facing mischief charges for damage to a religious site and interfering with property, police noted that the Hate Crime Unit may apply for permission from Canada’s attorney general to pursue hate crime charges at a later date.

Buchanan’s alleged actions come amid an increase in anti-Semitic incidents across Canada, including the attempted arson of Vancouver’s Schara Tzedeck Synagogue in May 2024, a trio of gun attacks against a Toronto Jewish girls school last year, and a firebombing of Montreal’s Beth Tikvah synagogue in December of last year.

This past month, an employee with the City of Ottawa was dismissed after allegedly spray painting on an Ottawa Holocaust memorial. The individual, who has not been named by police, was also charged for mischief to a war memorial, mischief in excess of $5,000, and harassment by threatening conduct.

B’Nai Brith Canada, a Jewish human rights organization, recorded 6,219 anti-Semitic incidents last year, its highest since beginning to compile records on hate incidents in 1982 and representing over a 7 percent jump since 2023.

A recent federal report commissioned by Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Anti-Semitism has also concluded that there has been a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Ontario’s K-12 school system. The report was based on a survey, and discovered a surge in anti-Semitic incidents between October 2023 and January 2025.

According to the report, anti-Semitic incidents included verbal harassment, threats, incitement, and bullying, including some physical violence, bomb threats, and teacher-sanctioned activities, noting that 49 percent of anti-Semitic incidents reported by students did not lead to an investigation by school authorities.

The report says that less than 60 percent of the incidents it uncovered in its survey related to Israel or Israel’s war with Hamas and instead were related to denying the Holocaust, accusing Jews of being too powerful, or a “blanket condemnation of Jews.”

Over half of Canada’s approximately 400,000 Jews reside in Ontario.

Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Anti-Semitism Deborah Lyons says anti-Semitic harassment is becoming an increasing problem across Canada, including provinces like B.C.

“Jews make up <1% of the population but face 70% of all reported religiously motivated hate. In B.C., 62% of Jewish residents have experienced at least one antisemitic incident since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Early 2024 data shows this trend is only worsening,” Lyons posted July 7 on X.