To the Government Officials of Canada, Ontario, and Toronto:

We are writing as concerned Jewish citizens of Toronto and the GTA. On Sunday March 3rd, as I’m sure you have heard, a pro-Hamas protest broke out in front of Aish Hatorah synagogue, and the Reena building, a space for Jewish peoplem living with disabilities. Despite the blatant antisemitic intention and hate speech being spewed, I was appalled to hear that no arrests were made. There is evidence that police have been asked if they understand what an intifada is. They understand that it is a call to murder Jews. They understand that "From the River to the Sea" is a genocidal chant specifically targeting Jews.

So why then, when they are screaming this obvious hate speech in front of a synagogue, no one gets arrested? Hate speech is illegal and they should not be allowed to get away with it. Their actions are no different than if we were to protest in front of a mosque screaming for a second nakba. Do you think we’d be able to get away with that? Or would mass arrests ensue? I think we both know the answer to that. So why then, can people who attack Jews get away with it? Why the double standard? That is absolutely unacceptable and the fact that you are not absolutely ashamed of yourselves right now is very telling of your complete and utter dismissal of every single one of us. 

We are sick of it. We deserve to live in peace, and your absolute laziness and lack of care or action are directly responsible for us, our families, our friends, to feel scared to even leave our homes, while you let hate against us keep being shouted at us in the spaces we are supposed to feel the most safe. Well, we refuse to wait around for this situation to inevitably get worse. Montreal has just banned protests outside of Jewish institutions after their own violent protest broke out. Where is the action in Toronto? Ontario? Canada as a whole? This motion in Montreal passed within 24 hours. What's your excuse? It’s obvious that police don’t care, and you guys clearly don’t care. Maybe it’s time you did. And took some action for once. 

We demand that any Pro-Hamas/Anti-Israel protests in front of Jewish institutions and organizations be made completely and indisputably illegal, and that this action be taken immediately. We're done hiding and living in fear.

Sincerely,

The Toronto/GTA Jewish Community

UPDATE: The situation is only getting worse. On Thursday March 8, a group of Pro-Hamas antisemites tries to protest another synagogue. They attempted to get violent, but control was thankfully maintained. Furthermore, there are reports that Toronto police are told to do absolutely nothing about these mobs, but only to observe and report. These are some disturbing updates, so we are reminding you that the time to act is NOW. These protests have no right taking place in front of any Jewish institution. We once again urge you to take the proper measures to make sure such behaviour is immediately criminalized.