Amid increasing concern among Jewish groups about antisemitism in Toronto, graffiti calling for murder and assassinations and curses directed at Zionists was found on Dundas Street, Member of Parliament Kevin Vuong said earlier this week.
“Bring back political assassinations” and “murder politicians” was scrawled in red paint alongside “f**k Zionists” and “kill all genociders,” he said.
Ariella Kimmel, vice president of strategic communications and development for Winston Wilmont, a public-affairs consultancy based in Ottawa, shared images of the vandalism on Tuesday.Zionist is coded word for Jew. Genocider is coded word for Zionist. Getting it yet? pic.twitter.com/3rEngWGN7l
— Ariella (tortured poet version) (@ariellakimmel) February 20, 2024
Calling on Toronto police
“Zionist is a coded word for Jew,” she said. “Genocider is coded word for Zionist.”
Vuong said he had contacted the Toronto Municipality about the graffiti, and that it was removed on Wednesday.
The graffiti was “threatening and blatantly antisemitic,” Vuong said, adding that the call for violence had led him to report it to the Toronto Police Service as a hate-motivated crime. If any Torontonians saw any hateful graffiti, they could also report it to the police, he said.
“Together, let’s ensure hate has no place in our city,” Vuong said.
B’nai Brith Canada on Thursday said the graffiti had been aimed at the Jewish community and those that support Israel.
“As the city continues to face an unprecedented increase in antisemitic incidents, we are now witnessing even more aggressive threats,” it said in a statement.