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Dr. Lawrence Hart |
Frank Dimant |
Prof. Stephen Scheinberg |
Dr. Karen Mock |
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Dr. Lawrence Hart |
Frank Dimant |
Prof. Stephen Scheinberg |
Dr. Karen Mock |
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The year 2000 in Quebec saw an extraordinarily sharp rise in antisemitic incidents. Beyond a large number of isolated incidents that commonly occur every year, such as a swastika painted on a business establishment that may have a Jewish affiliation, mailings of copies of antisemitic material to Jewish individuals, examples of derogatory comments or insensitivity in the workplace, there were three predominant categories of events that characterized the incidents this year: white supremacy activity, Middle East related incidents, and the events surrounding the so-called Michaud affair.
For the first part of the year, numerous incidents of violent, racist and antisemitic graffiti were reported in a number of locations. Equating the Star of David with a swastika was a very common scrawl, appearing in many areas around the city, primarily on buses, bus shelters and in the subway. This type of graffiti is often a random act of vandalism perpetrated by any number of individuals, but it became much more frequent as the crisis in the Middle East intensified.
Two sites that were attacked with horrific racist graffiti this past year were a high school in Fabreville (north of Montreal) and the base of the Victoria bridge, leading off the island. The graffiti painted on the school in Fabreville was one of the most violent expressions of hate ever recorded in Quebec in the 19 years of compiling this annual report. Threats such as "all niggers must die", "Kill Jews", "Genocide", "Niggers go home", "Heil Hitler" and "White Power" were everywhere. The Victoria Bridge was defaced with “Kill those Jews. It's time for war again.” and “Hitler forever”. What was most disturbing about these attacks was that the symbols used were well known neo-Nazi and white supremacist markings. This makes it less likely that the incidents were random acts perpetrated by a handful of youths with spray-cans, as is often the case, but something more sophisticated and organized. Rumours have been circulating that the Vinland Skinheads and other white supremacist cells in Quebec have recently been organizing and attempting to recruit. Police forces are on the lookout to determine whether a pattern is developing, and if so, what the origins are.
In the fall, rising tensions and conflict in the Middle East had serious repercussions across the country, but the incidents appeared to be more severe in Montreal, creating much ill will between some Muslim, Arab and Jewish groups, particularly on university campuses. Concordia University, with a very large Arabic population as well as a sizeable Jewish student body, became a centre for intense Israel bashing, resulting in many Jewish students feeling intimidated and uncomfortable. Antisemitic slurs hurled in their direction were commonplace. There were many exhibitions, as well as a number of demonstrations in support of the Palestinians, with at least one that was very antisemitic and hateful in nature. Placards equating the Jewish Star with the swastika were widely displayed. At demonstrations, there were Israeli flag burnings, calls for "Death to Israel" and "Death to the Jews" as well as "Barak is a pig" with young children encouraged to shout expressions of hatred.
A number of aggressive attacks, directly linked to the Mideast conflict, were also reported in Montreal. Four such incidents took place in the subway, targeting, in all cases, young individuals wearing skullcaps. In the most violent occurrence, a student wearing a skullcap, after refusing to remove it, was attacked at the Lionel Groulx metro station and beaten with belt buckles by two men identified as Arab youths. The victim was knocked unconscious and kicked in the head several times. Two other passengers intervened and prevented attempts by the attackers to throw the victim onto the rails.
In other incidents, a group of about 25 people, many of whom were wearing kaffiahs (Arab head scarves) or draped in the Palestinian flag, taunted worshippers outside a Montreal synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. The hostile gathering dispersed when the police arrived. A Jewish elementary school in the Montreal suburb of Saint Laurent, which has both large Jewish and Arabic communities, was targeted several times after the breakout of the crisis in the Middle East. On Oct. 8th, one of the school’s windows was shattered by a rock. On Oct. 10th, two men in military uniforms got out of a car and yelled antisemitic slurs at a terrified young girl, forcing her to run into the school. On Oct. 12th, four men got out of a car and started screaming threats into one of the classroom windows. On Oct. 24th, a swastika was scrawled on the school. There were also many examples of antisemitic and anti-Israel propaganda literature being handed out at metro stations and other busy street corners. Several Jewish organizations in Montreal received antisemitic propaganda during this tense time.
Periods marked by intense scrutiny of events in the Middle East are often accompanied by spillover in other parts of the world, Canada being no exception. Fortunately, in Montreal, despite the high number of individual incidents, cooler heads prevailed as most attacks were isolated cases and the situation never escalated to crisis proportions. Nonetheless, for individuals who are caught in the cross-fire and who, for the most part, are unaccustomed to confrontation or expressions of violence, these incidents are extremely distressing, haunting, and even terrifying.
Last December, former MNA and Parti Québecois nationalist hardliner, Yves Michaud, announced his intention to seek the party’s nomination in the Montreal area riding of Mercier. A few days earlier, on radio station CKAC he was being interviewed about his candidacy and his recently published book. He related an anecdote that clearly illustrated insensitivity to the Jewish community. In referring to Jews he acerbically ranted “It’s always about you (Jews). You’re the only people in the world to have suffered in the history of humanity. I had just about had it.” He went on to say, “I was completely roused to indignation ... thoroughly indignant at the suggestion of changing the name of the Lionel Groulx metro station - he who was the intellectual leader of two generations of Quebecers and who is almost a Quebec idol. It’s the B’nai Brith who did that - they’re the extremist arm, you know, of international Zionism.”
B’nai Brith issued a statement calling on the Premier to block the candidacy of someone who holds views that are so out of sync with modern day Quebec and the civic nationalism espoused by the Premier and more moderate nationalists. The next day, coincidentally, Mr. Michaud and B’nai Brith presented briefs one after the other to the Estates General on Language. Mr. Michaud’s oral presentation was full of accusations against minority communities for having thwarted Quebec’s drive for independence, a thesis very similar to Jacques Parizeau’s 1995 referendum night remarks blaming "money and ethnics" for losing the referendum. Michaud’s explanation as to why minorities vote against sovereignty was that they are either ignorant, filled with hatred towards Quebec or misunderstand. He pointed a finger exclusively at the City of Côte Saint-Luc, suggesting that the residents of this largely Jewish suburb of the City of Montreal were anti-Québec, referring to them as immigrants, despite the fact that most were born and raised in Quebec.
The next day the National Assembly voted unanimously to condemn Michaud for his remarks, a gesture that showed great leadership, particularly by Premier Bouchard for vigorously condemning any form of intolerance in Quebec society. B’nai Brith received numerous e-mails, letters and hits on our website that were very aggressively antisemitic. Unfortunately, Yves Michaud was given endless opportunity in the media, with minimal rebuke or opportunity for B’nai Brith to respond. He showed no signs of backing down, and a large cadre of supporters came to his defence. Two full-page ads appeared in Le Devoir in support of Yves Michaud, signed by numerous organizations and individuals, including Mr. Parizeau.
This whole episode confirms B'nai Brith’s stance that, in stark contrast to what Quebec may have been fifty years ago, Quebec as a society has evolved considerably in its attitude towards minorities, and towards Jews in particular. The ugliest forms of racism in the country have emanated from neo-Nazi, white supremacist groups or Holocaust deniers outside the province. Most of the hate groups in Quebec are non-francophone. However, the Michaud affair illustrates that there still exists, at the fringes of the Quebec nationalist movement, deep-rooted intolerance and xenophobia; and every so often, when the surface is scratched, it bubbles up again. The unanimous vote of the National Assembly is an example, however, that this view on the fringes by no means represents a broad cross-section of Quebec society, but a minority position. Over 1000 people signed an ad that appeared more recently in Le Devoir, affirming support for a more inclusive and tolerant Quebec society.
Part of the fallout of the Michaud affair was the resignation of Premier Bouchard. In his resignation speech, he specifically referred to Michaud and his supporters and called on the party to reject this narrow form of ethnic nationalism. The Parti Québecois in its choice of a new leader, and at their convention in February, 2001, have an opportunity to affirm a commitment to a new era and a reformed movement that is much more inclusive and open today than it was during Mr. Michaud’s heyday.
Reported antisemitic incidents were down in Atlantic Canada this year with only 1 incident reported, compared to 3 in 1999. Although there were pro-Palestinian protests during the turbulent October and November months, they fortunately did not cross the line into antisemitism with the use of swastikas and chants of genocide against Jews as occurred in other regions.
In 1999 we saw an increase in hate group recruitment attempts in the Maritime provinces, especially in Prince Edward Island. In 2000, Charlottetown still reported evidence of Heritage Front activity, when members harassed and assaulted Japanese tourists. White supremacist material was also found in St. Johns, New Brunswick, exhorting “White Canada” to “Wake up. No Jews. No Niggers. No gays. Take it from us. We will win the holy war. Keep Canada strong.”
In 2000, there was the well-publicized case of Donna Upson who was convicted of uttering threats against a black pastor in a church in Nova Scotia. Upson, who is a member of a number of recognized hate groups, was reported to have been in the region recruiting for some of these groups. This case increased awareness in the area of the risks and reality of hate group recruitment close to home.
Toronto is home to the largest Jewish population in Canada and correspondingly experienced the largest number of antisemitic incidents. This year, 110 incidents were reported which represents a decrease of 7.6% from the 119 incidents reported last year, in keeping with the trend towards a decrease in overall hate crimes in general. But Toronto saw a striking increase in antisemitic incidents in October and November, which reflected the worldwide harassment and vandalism experienced by Jewish communities during the initial upswing of the Middle East crisis. These months also accounted for the increase in the severity of incidents in Toronto, with a 20% increase in vandalism over 1999.
Toronto's Jewish population felt the sting of those who disagreed with Israel’'s position in the Middle East, as well as those who simply used the intifada as an excuse for giving vent to their hatred. Synagogues were vandalized with broken windows, pro-Palestinian graffiti, and a series of "egging" incidents. A xenophobic atmosphere was also felt with graffiti and hate messages exhorting Jews to “get out of the country” and to “go home”. Bomb threats were received at a synagogue, a Jewish community centre, a school in a largely Jewish neighbourhood and the Israeli Consulate. Death threats were made against professional staff and lay leaders of Jewish agencies.
The Holocaust was invoked in a number of negative ways during (but not limited to) this two month period. Pro-Palestinian flyers often trivialized the Holocaust by equating the Jewish Star of David with a Nazi swastika. Graffiti at York University stated “I am an Arab student. There should be another Hitler and he should do the job right this time.” Earlier in the year, an antisemitic e-mail was received at a Jewish organization’s office stating “Thank God for Hitler” and a phone message stated “Hitler should have finished the job.” There have also been a number of incidents in schools. A Jewish teacher in a public school was confronted by a student claiming that he wanted to “walk into a bar mitzvah with swastikas on and say Heil Hitler”, while another student greeted the teacher with a Nazi salute and “Heil Hitler”. A job posting for a Jewish organization was met with a response that Mr. Adolf Hitler wanted to apply for the position. Another phone message received at B’nai Brith Canada stated “F**k you kikes…There wasn’t even 6 million Jews in Europe during World War II.” It is ironic that some antisemites laud Hitler and his actions while others deny his impact.
Hate mail and e-mail continue to have an impact on their recipients [Note: hate e-mail messages are only counted in our statistics if they are specifically addressed to an individual]. An individual received an e-mail stating that the writer was in the "white power" movement and that he wanted to “kill Jews, Nigers” (sic) and “Long live the Klan.” A few persistent individuals continue to blanket Jewish organizations and individuals with antisemitic political diatribes [Note: multiple missives from the same person are counted as one incident for the purposes of our statistics]. Another common theme for hate mail promotes the stereotype of Jews controlling the government, the media and the world at large. Another piece of hate mail contained the old antisemitic canard of the Talmud as "the ugliest racism" and described Jews as devil worshippers.
Some antisemitic myths continued to proliferate through the year 2000. The Kosher Tax myth claims that the purchase of foods with a kosher symbol on it means that a portion of that money constitutes a tax which benefits the Jewish people. Individuals are advised to go to their cupboards and estimate the worth of all the foods which have those "hidden" symbols on them and claim the money back from the government in their tax returns. Many of the alerts that our offices received about the distribution of the "Kosher Tax" advisories were from accountants who received them as a mailing or were given them along with instructions from their clients to include the material in their taxes. According to these accountants, the people who wanted the refund were not antisemites per se but had received the letters and were ignorant to the meaning of the symbols on the groceries. However, it could be said that those fooled were all too ready to believe the message of the advisories that Jews are sneakily trying to extort money from an unsuspecting public.
Although harassment was down by 17%, this year wasn't free from violence for Jewish residents of Toronto. Jewish teenagers were beaten up after their assailants called them “Jewish retards”. One man had eggs thrown at him, along with being told “Jews suck” and “Heil Hitler”. In total, there were 5 antisemitic assaults in Toronto this past year compared to 6 the year before.
It is not only physical assaults that are traumatic, but a violent impact can come from verbal altercations as well. There were 3 separate incidents reported of taxi drivers ranting against Jews to their captive passengers, evoking real fear and discomfort. Jewish community leaders were met with threats at a downtown pro-Palestinian demonstration. “Death to the Jews” was chanted in Arabic. The Jewish bystanders were called Nazis and were spat at and, eventually, had to be escorted away by police. An elderly woman was traumatized by a man yelling antisemitic diatribes at her at the Eaton Centre while pushing a picture of Hitler in her face. A man was threatened by his neighbour with “F**king Jew. I'm going to kill you.”
There was an upsurge of incidents targeting Jewish places of worship. Several synagogues were vandalized. Harassing phone calls and threats were received at synagogue offices. Congregants were harassed and threatened entering and exiting the buildings. A memorial chapel in a Jewish cemetery was vandalized and its stained glass windows were broken. Toronto police responded with increased surveillance in Jewish neighbourhoods, by taking steps to reassure the community and by following up on all reports of hate incidents.
Systemic discrimination continues to be reported by residents of Toronto. In addition to many schools continuing to flaunt requirements for inclusive formal and informal curricula, events from children’s soccer playoffs to university contests were scheduled for Jewish holidays. Complainants were refused when they requested a change of dates or reasonable accommodation. A condominium board refused to allow an owner to put a mezuzah on her portal, labelling it a decoration instead of an item of religious observance. In one incident an individual was fired, and among of the reasons given were his need for religious holidays off and his preference (not refusal) not to work on the Sabbath. A complaint in front of the Ontario Human Rights Commission is pending.
Regional Ontario includes all parts of Ontario other than the City of Toronto or the National Capital Region. Thornhill, an area just north of Toronto with a sizeable Jewish population, accounted for a significant number of the antisemitic incidents reported for Regional Ontario this year. One of the larger synagogues in the area was the target of a number of incidents during the Middle East crisis. Cars in the parking lot were pamphletted with the increasingly used symbol of the Jewish Star of David equated to a Nazi swastika. Congregants were followed and harassed after leaving the building. One group had eggs thrown at them on their way home from evening prayers. An apartment building adjacent to the synagogue was vandalized with “Die F**king Jews” scrawled in the stairwell. Verbal confrontations were also reported in the area. A senior leader of a Jewish organization was called a “F**king Heeb” in a local shopping plaza parking area. Several Jewish patrons complained of shopkeepers and taxi drivers using antisemitic invectives against them.
London, Ontario suffered from a number of extreme racist attacks. A Black man was deliberately run over and killed by a car full of youths shouting white supremacy slogans. Three of the perpetrators were members of the Northern Alliance, a white supremacy group, which has now proclaimed itself to be disbanded. Although this crime was not counted for purposes of the Audit, it indicates the serious threat that hate groups represent. Holocaust denial propaganda was found in a newspaper box at London City Hall. Antisemitism was also felt on the campus of the University of Western Ontario in London, where the Jewish Students’ Union received a targeted antisemitic e-mail, and an overtly antisemitic article was published in the university newspaper. A London synagogue was also vandalized during October with graffiti threatening “Hamas will attack”. A series of antisemitic hate mail was received by a number of local businesses.
The City of London Police Service, in co-operation with the municipal anti-hate anti-racism committee, are monitoring the hate groups closely and cracking down on hate crime. With the assistance of the League for Human Rights, they are conducting research, mounting a public education campaign and setting up a confidential anti-hate hot line to encourage reporting of hate crimes.
Other areas in Regional Ontario suffered from antisemitism and hatred in 2000. In Hamilton this year, a Jewish cemetery was desecrated with swastikas and graffiti stating “Burn Jews”. “Kill Jews” was written on a kosher butcher shop and “Death to Jews” appeared on a public wall. During the summer months approximately 30 swastikas were spotted painted on walls around the Belleville area. In the small town of Lindsay, a number of swastikas with racist and antisemitic messages were scrawled on some downtown stores. The Kitchener-Waterloo area has reported hate group recruitment and the formation of some new hate groups such as the Canadian Ethnic Cleansing Team (CECT), the Canadian Heritage Alliance (CHA) and WP Canada which indicate that this area will bear watching in the future.
In the National Capital Region there were 24 reported incidents in 2000, a 25% decrease from 32 incidents in 1999. A number of individuals had the safety of their homes compromised by antisemitic vandalism. Two houses with Hannukah decorations in an Ottawa neighbourhood were damaged while neighbouring homes were untouched. A man had the mezuzah removed from his doorpost and destroyed. A bomb threat was received at the Parliament buildings the day of the Zachor gathering, a commemoration honouring Holocaust survivors sponsored by several national Jewish organizations and the Canadian government.
T0here were 11 antisemitic incidents reported in the wake of the rise in tension in the Middle East. There was an arson attack at the Jewish memorial chapel where the door was doused in gasoline and then set ablaze. A synagogue was vandalized in October with a number of broken windows and doors and "Islam 4ever" scrawled on the wall. Another Jewish institution was marred with graffiti stating “Palestine lives. Stop the killing” and a Jewish Star with a slash through it. A visiting rabbi was viciously assaulted and had his kippah stolen in an attack that shocked the community. Using a slur found in a number of websites and hate propaganda attributed to extremist Muslim groups, a group of youth identified as Muslim by the police assaulted a Jewish child on a public bus. The perpetrators taunted “I can smell a Jew. There's a Jew on the bus.” Vicious hate propaganda using the same slur and frightening threats such as “how to kill a Jew with your bare hands” and a promise to discuss issues such as "The Zionist mythology of the Holocaust" and the "pure fiction of such fabrications as Auschwitz and Treblinka", was found tucked into a book at a used book store. The flyer invited the reader to a meeting at the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library every Friday afternoon although follow-up proved that such meetings did not take place.
The beginning of the year 2000 was marred in the small town of Langley, British Columbia where both a local high school and a skating rink were painted with “Jocks = Jews” and “Kill the Jocks” in reference to the Colombine murders the previous year. Two incidents were reported of Jewish children being harassed in British Columbia schools with taunts of “you would be killed first by the Nazis” etc. One of these incidents received much media attention after the school board requested that the victim think about what he did to provoke the attack. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Victoria featured the insulting symbols seen across Canada this year of the Jewish Star of David equated with the Nazi swastika.
In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, some Jewish voters were forced to vote in a polling station surrounded by inflammatory anti-Israel posters. Upon intervention from voters citing regulations regarding the prohibition of political material in polling stations, Election Canada officials finally agreed to remove the signs from the polling station which was located in a local mosque.
Although Alberta has a relatively small Jewish population (4% of the Jewish population in Canada), that province suffered some of the most serious attacks on property during the upswing in violent antisemitism in the latter part of 2000. There were a total of 14 incidents in Alberta for the year 2000, up from 5 the previous year. Notably, in Edmonton two synagogues were firebombed on the same evening, one of the synagogues for the second time in 3 weeks. Although Edmonton’s mayor tried to deny the existence of hate within his city’s boundaries, the arrest of one of the perpetrators unfortunately has proved him wrong.
Antisemitic graffiti showed up at a Calgary high school earlier in the year with swastikas and slogans such as “Heil Hitler”, “Too Many Niggas, Lebs, Chinks, Wiggas and JEWS!!!” and “Attention all whites Stick together!!”(sic) This attack was repeated a week later. A supporter of the National Alliance (NA), a well-established hate group, inserted their brochures into the University of Calgary’s campus newspaper, The Gauntlet, unbeknownst to the newspaper’s staff, resulting in circulation of the propaganda around the campus. NA stickers were also found on light posts in the downtown Calgary area.
Some systemic discrimination was also reported in the Alberta area. Elementary school children were penalized for absenteeism during the Jewish High Holidays; and several employees were not allowed to take the time off from work for the High Holy days, even when there was no evident undue hardship to the employer.
There were 4 antisemitic incidents reported by Jewish residents in Winnipeg, one more than last year. One Jewish employee was shocked when her supervisor told her that she was surprised the employee was Jewish because she had “never met a normal Jew before”. Holocaust denial material was distributed around an apartment block in November in Winnipeg, and a swastika was scrawled on a garage door towards the end of the year.
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