Toronto leaders decry 'appalling' hate after suspected arson at Jewish-owned grocer

One of Toronto's deputy mayors says the suspected hate-motivated arson and vandalism of a Jewish-owned grocery store should serve as a wake-up call about a spike in antisemitism in the city.

Mike Colle, speaking with The Canadian Press, says the suspected arson strikes at the fears of the city's Jewish community and reflects the human cost of "appalling" hate-motivated violence.

The deputy mayor for north Toronto says he met with the owner of International Delicatessen Foods who told the councillor he was concerned for his family's safety and worried it could be months before the business reopens.

In a statement, Mayor Olivia Chow said these types of incidents leave people feeling shaken and "diminish our sense of safety and belonging."

No arrests have been made after officers were called to the north Toronto grocery store fire on Wednesday morning to find the words "Free Palestine" written on the building.

Police have warned of a spike in hate crimes since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, with a little over half of those reported to be antisemitic.

Police say between Oct. 7 and Dec. 17 there were 98 reported hate crimes in Toronto, compared to 48 over the same period in 2022. That number included 56 reported antisemitic incidents, compared to 18 over the same period last year.

It also accounts for 20 reported incidents targeting Muslims, Arabs or Palestinians — compared to just two over the same period in 2022.

Chief Myron Demkiw addressed the suspected arson at an unrelated news conference Thursday, calling it an organized criminal act that inflicted "great harms in our communities."

"No stone will be left unturned in this investigation as we seek to bring those responsible to justice," he said.

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Colle, the city councillor for Eglinton-Lawrence, also decried demonstrators who appear to protest in his ward because of its significant Jewish population.

Police have closed the Avenue Road bridge over Highway 401 on three recent occasions, citing demonstrations.

Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, vice-president, Greater Toronto Area, of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, an advocacy organization, said the Jewish community is feeling nervous, unsettled and frightened by the latest antisemitism in the GTA but it's not surprised.

"The Jewish community is scared. We've been very worried that something like this would happen. Now that it's happened, we're scared, we're reeling," she said on Thursday outside the grocery store.

"But unfortunately, we're not shocked. We've seen violent rhetoric escalating, both on social media and on the streets. And we know that violent words lead to violent actions. And unfortunately, that's what we've seen in this case."

Kirzner-Roberts said the community is asking political, faith and community leaders to speak out about growing antisemitism in Canada and stand with the Jewish community. The owners of the business were a Jewish family not connected to what is going on in Israel, yet it became a target, she added.

"This is just so unacceptable for something like this to be happening in Canada because of a conflict thousands of kilometres away. None of this should be tolerated in our country."