The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) formally requested the Canadian government increase its efforts to protect its Jewish citizens from the rising threats posed by Islamist terror groups since October 7, the center said on Monday.
“The Jewish community in Canada faces an unprecedented and growing threat from extremists emboldened by radical ideologies. Recent arrests have underscored the need for the Canadian government to act decisively to stop the overt pattern of radicalization within our own borders,” said Shimon Koffler Fogel, president and CEO of CIJA.
The center called on the Canadian government to classify Samidoun – Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network – as a terrorist entity, banning the organization which CIJA claimed to have ties with the terror group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
CIJA also demanded that the government criminalize the display of symbols that glorify acts of terrorism, including Nazi imagery and imagery affiliated with Hezbollah, Hamas, PFLP, Three Percenters, and ISIS.
It asked that the government reassess the Gazan Visa Security Process protocol which will see 5,000 Gazans enter Canada. The organization acknowledged that while humanitarian efforts are important, there must be assessments to see if the individuals entering Canada have ties with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
“Canada is in the middle of an extremism crisis – one that puts Canadian lives in danger. Stopping radicalization and the normalization of extremist ideology should be the priority for Parliament for this coming session,” said Fogel. “We call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to enhance security measures, including banning Samidoun as a terrorist organization, criminalizing the glorification of terrorism, and reassessing the security risks in our immigration screening process. The safety of all Canadians, especially vulnerable communities like ours, must remain a top priority.”
Why are the changes necessary?
Giving cause for the aforementioned demands, CIJA noted a wave of recent incidents threatening international civilians, particularly global Jewry.
In one such incident, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police apprehended a father and son with links to ISIS who were in the “advanced stages of planning a serious, violent attack in Toronto,” the organization said.
In another incident highlighting the threat of terrorism in Canada, an Alberta man was neutralized in Israel after he attempted to attack border police with a knife.
More recently, a Pakistani national based in Canada was arrested as he made plans to carry out an attack on the Jewish community of New York on behalf of ISIS. He had planned this attack around the same date as October 7, when Hamas attacked southern Israel and brutally murdered some 1200 people.
The impact on Canadian Jewry
The psychological impact of these attacks has been significant on Canadian Jewry, a poll commissioned by CIJA found.
Canadian Jews are concerned about antisemitism and believe that both the federal government (85%) and local police (75%) should be doing more to combat it.
Over the past year, there have been attacks on Jewish neighborhoods, including firebombings of synagogues in Montreal and Vancouver, shots fired at Jewish schools in Toronto and Montreal, and a dramatic increase in hate crimes against Jews.
The result of these increased attacks, according to the poll, left 82% of Jews expressing the belief that Canada is less safe for them now than it was before October 7.
The large majority, 80%, said they were concerned about antisemitism in their communities and 79% said they felt anxious about large anti-Israel protests.
Over 1 in 3 of those polled said that either they or a family member had received antisemitic remarks since October 7 and 31% said they or a family member had been personally blamed for the civilian casualties incurred as Israel battles against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Nearly a quarter, 23%, reported that they or a family member had felt alienated from friends or coworkers due to their religious identity and 20% said they are more likely to hide their Jewishness now to avoid confrontation.