Toronto Police Lay Hate Crime Charge for Display of Anti-Semitic Signs

The Toronto Police Service says it has charged a Toronto man with public incitement of hatred in connection with anti-Semitic signs that were displayed during a demonstration in a North York neighbourhood with a large Jewish population.

Police say the individual allegedly attended the demonstration at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West of North York at approximately 1:15 p.m. on March 15, along with other protesters, and displayed an anti-Semitic sign.

Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel activists have regularly gathered at the intersection since the 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel and the ensuing war. Protest marches have also taken place in the area’s residential streets.

“He marched with the sign toward the group of pro-Israeli supporters while shouting derogatory slurs,” the Toronto Police Service (TPS) said in an April 2 news release, noting that the individual was later identified through investigation.

Members of the TPS Hate Crime Unit executed a search warrant on April 2 and located the accused, the police force said. Muhammad Anas Sial, 33, of Toronto, was arrested and charged with public incitement of hatred.

Police also executed a number of search warrants across Toronto, including at residences and a self-storage unit, and seized signs that were displayed at the March 15 demonstration, along with other evidence, including a number of phones and laptops from suspects and persons of interest. “This is an active and ongoing criminal investigation,” the police service said.

“The Toronto Police Service determined that the conduct observed on March 15, along with other factors, represented an escalation in behaviour that became a clear risk to public safety,” TPS said.

In a video posted on social media April 2 announcing the arrest, TPS Chief Myron Demkiw said there will be an “increased and visible” police presence throughout the city “this holiday weekend and beyond,” including rotating command posts near synagogues.

“Toronto is a place where people from diverse backgrounds live together in harmony and we will continue doing everything we can so that our communities are and feel safe,” Demkiw said.

Protest Ban

TPS announced last week that protests would no longer be allowed in the residential neighbourhood of Bathurst and Sheppard. Police advised protesters at the intersection on March 22 that demonstrations would no longer be tolerated in the adjacent residential area. One protester accused police of “discrimination” in a video posted on X by independent journalist Caryma Sa’d.

Toronto police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said at a March 24 press conference that the change is “not so much about curtailing Charter rights any more than absolutely necessary.”

Barredo said people would still be allowed to protest along Bathurst and Sheppard, but police will “physically block” movement inside the adjacent residential areas, and arrest and charge those who do not follow the directive.

The announcement came after Jewish advocacy groups wrote a March 16 letter to TPS Police Chief Demkiw following the March 15 weekend demonstrations, saying “extremist protestors openly made threats of violence, glorified terrorism, and displayed imagery that portrays Jewish people as sub-human in terms reminiscent of Nazi incitement.”

Protesters at the demonstration had displayed anti-Semitic placards, including one depicting an undressed and emaciated orthodox Jewish man emerging from a cavern, saying, “Has Iran stopped?” This is an apparent reference to the armed conflict between Israel and Iran. Another sign displayed rats around a Star of David.

“If imagery portraying Jews as vermin and celebrating the elimination of the Jewish state does not meet the threshold for enforcement under Canada’s hate propaganda laws, what does?” wrote the advocacy groups, B’nai Brith Canada, the Centre for Israeli and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), and the United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto.

The CIJA said in a March 24 social media post that the TPS directive restricting demonstrations in the Bathurst and Sheppard residential area is “a meaningful and long-overdue step,” but noted the directive “must be paired with consistent enforcement and protection for our community.”

Conservative MP for York Centre Roman Baber welcomed the new police directive, but called on Demkiw to also ban the incitement of violence and mischief from the Bathurst and Sheppard intersection itself.

The new police enforcement also follows an escalation of violence in the Toronto area in recent weeks, including shooting attacks against synagogues and the U.S. consulate.

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.