The increased frequency of antisemitic hate crimes in Canadian society is due to the Israel-Hamas war, according to a press release published by the Vancouver Police Department on Tuesday.
The statement claimed that since Hamas launched its October 7 terror attack against Israel, which took the lives of over 1200 people including at least 5 Canadian citizens, the department has had to shell out more than $2.5 million in overtime costs to police officials.
Vancouver Police said that, throughout 2023, they investigated 265 hate crime reports which constituted a 31% increase from the previous year. Reports of antisemitic hate crime increased 62% from 2022, when there had only been 22 reports.
More than half, 33 out of the 47 antisemitic hate crime reports, happened after October 7th.
Additionally, the department said it had investigated 50 crimes connected to the Israel-Hamas war, including assaults against police officers and cases of obstructing police, with suspects involved in the crimes only being identified in just over half the investigations so far.
Global trends on antisemitism
While Vancouver’s police experienced a significant budget change as a result of the increased hate crimes and protests, the increase in reported hate crimes is significantly lower than the global trend. A report published in November by the Combating Antisemitism Ministry, in partnership with numerous other groups, found that antisemitism had increased globally by 1180%.
Approximately 2400 miles from Vancouver in New York, there was a 330% increase in violent antisemitic incidents, according to the report.
Hamas’s terror attack inspired new antisemitism
“Sunday marked 100 days since the Hamas attack on Israel, a moment in history that will not be forgotten by the many communities directly and indirectly impacted by the violence of that day,” said Staff Sergeant Astrid Bonter, with VPD’s Diversity, Community, and Indigenous Relations Section. “While I cannot begin to speak on behalf of the communities embroiled in this conflict, I can say without question that your suffering is seen and heard.”
Citing “geo-political tensions,” Inspector Jeff Neuman commented on the role that protests had played in escalating the city’s hate crime statistics. Neuman works in the department’s Emergency Operations and Planning Section, which oversaw security planning and police deployment for 2,700 special events, including protests, last year.
“Protests often draw large groups of people with opposing views and create significant volatility due to the emotions involved,” said Neuman. “We support everyone’s right to peacefully assemble and express their views under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We encourage everyone who protests to do so peacefully, respectfully, and in accordance with the law. But, anyone who breaks the law or puts others’ safety at risk may face arrest and criminal charges.”