In the last three months, reports of hate crimes have quadrupled, according to Toronto Police.
Since the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, police have averaged 190 hate crime-related calls each month, Chief Myron Demkiw told the Toronto Police Services Board meeting on Thursday.
From January to September last year, police say that number averaged just 47 per month.
Demkiw said hate crime occurrences increased by 42%, with 353 incidents in 2023 compared to 248 the previous year.
However, December saw a drop to 10 reports.
More specifically, there were 132 reported anti-Semitic hate crimes last year, compared to 65 in 2022. This year’s numbers made up 37% of all hate crimes reported, police said.
“The statistics are very, very clear,” Demkiw said at a press conference. “There’s an incredible rise of anti-Semitism, and this is something incredibly concerning to me as the chief.
“The lived experiences of our Jewish community and the experiences they are having in this city presently are something we are listening to. We will be bringing a criminal lens to activities going forward to ensure that we are responsive to what the community has told us is a very serious concern for their safety and well-being.”
Cops said it was also troubling to see a 65% increase in LGBTQ2S+ hate crimes reported in 2023. It was the second highest category after 66 reports were made in 2023 compared to 40 the year before.
In addition, there were 35 reported anti-Muslim/Palestinian/Arab hate crimes in 2023 compared to 12 in 2022.
“As I’ve been saying for months now, criminal acts of hate and intimidation must have no space in our city,” Demkiw said. “Toronto Police Service has been unwavering in our determination to restore the sense of public safety.”
Demkiw added the 308 protests and demonstrations police officers had to manage in the last three months “are escalating and becoming more confrontational, creating significant public safety concerns.”
Police say between Oct. 7 and Jan. 10, there
have been 54 arrests and 117 charges related to hate crime occurrences.
The most common were mischief (28 charges), assault (22 charges) and
uttering threats (17 charges).
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