The number of anti-Semitic incidents in Canada is set to more than double in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to an annual audit conducted by Jewish human rights group B’nai B’rith Canada.
In the audit, the group recorded 5,791 incidents that met the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition. antisemitism, This represents an increase of 109 percent compared to 2022, when there were 2,769 incidents.
“The sheer number and increasing number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2023 is astonishing,” David Matas, B’nai Brith’s legal counsel, said at an Ottawa press conference.
“Whatever one thinks about Israeli responses to (Hamas’) terrorist attacks, Jews in Canada have nothing to do with them. These reactions to attacking Jews in Canada are straight up bigotry.
The majority of reported incidents – 4,847 – occurred online in the form of harassment. B’nai Brith links the rise in online anti-Semitism to the spread of images and videos created with artificial intelligence.
As for offline incidents, B’nai B’rith says it tracked 77 reports of physical violence, compared to 25 the previous year. Personal harassment and vandalism – ranging from graffiti incidents to arson – saw an increase in 2022 to 405 and 462 incidents respectively.
According to B’nai B’rith, personal harassment has increased by 42 percent and vandalism has seen a 14 percent increase.
All of these real-world incidents reported through the audit saw a significant increase after October, following the Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has been the center of rallies and protests for months.
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For example, The report states, Montreal Jewish school shot twice in November and Two Jewish institutions were bombed in the same city.
“The result of the aggressive increase in anti-Semitism is that Jews from coast to coast have felt ostracized and abandoned, after facing inhumane levels of hatred during the past year,” said Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith director of research and Said about advocacy.
This is consistent with data collected by Statistics Canada in its annual look at police-reported hate crimes. Since 2019, Jews have been the most targeted religious group based on police data, with 502 incidents in 2022.
Muslims are the second most targeted group with 108 hate crimes reported by police in 2022. According to a November 2023 Senate report on Islamophobia, an additional 1,723 crimes involving Muslim people in 2021 were motivated by racial or ethnic hatred.
B’nai Brith uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism when recording audit incidents. This broad definition includes calling for the harm or death of Jews, denying or downplaying the Holocaust, holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the Israeli state, and claiming that Israel’s existence is a racist endeavor, such as Elements are included.
To gather data for its audit, B’nai Brith collected information about police-reported incidents from 29 contact police agencies in Canada, and collected reports submitted through their online platform and anti-hate hotline. Did.
Online hate ‘definitely a problem’
B’nai B’rith tracked fluctuating reports of online hate, with June being the most active month last year.
“It is definitely a problem. One reason for this rise in anti-Semitism. But we have to understand that artificial intelligence … like a lot of technology, has both pros and cons,” Matas said.
“With each new technology, as we appreciate the benefits, we have to take safeguards against the disadvantages. And we haven’t done that yet.”
Artificial intelligence can create content faster and cheaper, And it is being recognized by security officials as a growing challenge when it comes to combating misinformation and online hate.
Matas said he would like to see the Liberals’ Online Harms Act adopted “with improvements” as soon as possible. He said the B’nai B’rith will present to the government what they want to see in the bill.
Broadly, the Online Harms Act seeks to create an Internet complaint mechanism, bring in harsher penalties for hate crimes, and protect children from potentially harmful content.
Ontario Liberal MP Marco Mendicino appeared with B’nai B’rith and said the Online Harms Act is not the only tool that should be looked at to address virtual antisemitism.
He said, “I think it’s equally important, if not more important, to make sure that we’re educating young Canadians about the Holocaust and what anti-Semitism looks like in the 21st century.” Is.”
Meanwhile, deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman, who is Jewish, argued that the bill is not a fair mechanism.
“We’re not going to solve this by criminalizing speech, especially with the government dictating what you can say and see on the Internet,” Lantsman said.
“The focus following this report must be on ensuring the physical safety of institutions, synagogues, schools, businesses, people on the streets who find themselves in the midst of vile, hateful demonstrations. Safe under the law in our country We don’t have an enforcement problem.
The editors say, and an earlier version of this article erroneously identified Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy for B’nai Brit Canada, as Robert Richardson.
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