Canadian-Jewish political candidates Rachel Bendayan and Anthony Housefather in the Canadian Liberal Party had their election campaign posters vandalized with swastika drawings in Montreal on Tuesday.
In response, both politicians condemned the incident, sharing photos of the vandalism on Twitter.
Whatever your political views, spreading hateful and violent messages is not the way to go. We’ve seen the road that the politics of the far right leads us to in the US and around the world. That is not us. That is not our Canada #polcan #Elxn44 pic.twitter.com/eXv6MgI0pn
— Rachel Bendayan (@RachelBendayan) August 17, 2021
Pretty sad to see #antisemitism hitting the campaign on Day 3. I can assure whoever did this that no swastika is going to scare me or stop me from speaking up for Jewish Canadians. pic.twitter.com/vpIP7cWOPE
— Anthony Housefather (@AHousefather) August 17, 2021
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that he was "disgusted and angry" at the antisemitic incidences.
Housefather and Bendayan, like Trudeau, are part of the Canadian Liberal Party and serve in the Canada House of Commons.
Trudeau also stated that he stands "in solidarity with Rachel and Anthony, and the entire Jewish community, against this type of hatred."
I am disgusted and I am angry that @RachelBendayan and @AHousefather had signs vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. It is completely unacceptable. I stand in solidarity with Rachel and Anthony, and the entire Jewish community, against this type of hatred.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) August 17, 2021
Last month, Trudeau called the rise in antisemitic incidents in Canada as “unacceptable” and said the problem was not one for just the Jewish community, but rather a challenge for all of Canada.
Canada's New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh tweeted: "Acts of antisemitism glorify one of the most hateful ideologies in human history. We must confront it, prevent it, and give it no space to grow."
Erin O'Toole, Leader of the Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada, condemned the hate crime as well: "Antisemitism and racism have no place in Canada," he tweeted.
Housefather thanked Trudeau, Singh, and O'Toole, saying that their statements are "greatly appreciated and a testament of how Liberals and Conservatives work together in the fight against antisemitism."
Bendayan, in an interview with Global News, said that this incident "represents a small minority of people that are spreading these hateful messages. If we don't take the time to call out hate for what it is, then it spreads."
Also denouncing the incident, Michael Levitt of The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, stated in a media release that "This symbol of hate and genocide must be rejected by all Canadians, regardless of where one stands on the political spectrum."
Police in Montreal are investigating the incident, the media release also stated.
Jeremy Sharon and Jordan Pike contributed to this report.