
Rochelle Wilner President	Frank Dimant Chief Executive Officer	Prof. Stephen Scheinberg National Chair	Ruth Klein National Director of Advocacy

2003 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents

IV. REPORTING AND RESPONSE

1) Methodology: the Reporting Process

Antisemitic incidents are reported either directly to the League for Human Rights’ Anti-Hate Hotline [1 800 892 BNAI (2624)] or to our regional offices in Toronto, Halton-Peel, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Edmonton. In addition, local volunteers in Hamilton, Oshawa, Peterborough, London, Kingston, Windsor, Halifax, St. John’s (NFLD), Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Regina and Saskatoon act as a conduit for individuals wanting to report an incident and requiring assistance locally. Due to the increased demand for assistance and referral, particularly at night or during the weekends, the Anti-Hate Hotline now operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Individuals reporting an incident undergo a rigorous intake process to allow for documentation, verification and corroboration. In addition, ongoing contact with local police forces and hate crimes units allows for exchange of information in which the League’s cross-country information gathering can help local authorities understand when specific regional incidents are, in fact, part of a national trend.

Where necessary, victims who have not made additional reports to law enforcement agencies, human rights commissions, or the relevant public and private sector authorities will be assisted through the process by a League professional. The involvement of in-house legal counsel and a team of volunteer legal experts is especially useful in cases of systemic discrimination, while the League educators play a primary role in cases involving school boards or individuals’ school systems.

The information gleaned throughout this intake and response process enables the Audit to be a primary tool in monitoring, documenting and analyzing antisemitism in Canada.

2) Audit Definitions of Hate-based Activity

The League uses the following definitions to categorize antisemitic incidents:

Harassment

Harassment refers to verbal or written actions that do not include the use of physical force against a person or property. It includes:

verbal slurs, statements of hate and bias, or harassment
stereotyping of Jews, such as the airing on radio talk shows of comments on “Jewish characteristics”
systemic discrimination in the workplace, schools or campuses
hate propaganda and hate mail via the internet, telephone, or printed material
verbal threats of violence, where application of force does not appear imminent, or no weapon or bomb is involved

Vandalism

Vandalism refers to physical damage to property. It includes:

posting of graffiti, swastikas and similar racist emblems and slogans, at times accompanied by other criminal acts including thefts and break-ins
damage to religious objects such as mezuzahs on the door posts of private homes and hospitals
desecration of cemeteries and synagogues
fire bombing, arson

Violence

Violence refers to physical use of force against a person or group of persons. It includes:

bodily assault
assault with a weapon or accompanied by threat of imminent use of weapon
threats of violence directed against a particular person or group where there is reasonable cause to believe that bodily harm is imminent.

Anti-Israel incidents are only included if there is an anti-Jewish component. This would necessitate the victim or victim group being targeted on an almost irrational basis simply because of their Jewish name or appearance, or their perceived affiliation with, or support for, Israel. It would also include advocating positions that delegitimize the State of Israel and call for its destruction, since this involves denying the collective right of self determination — accorded to all other peoples of the world — solely to the Jewish People, in much the same way as individual rights considered the inalienable right of all beings were denied solely to the Jews in the past.

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