“This hatred has no place in Canada”: Trudeau denounces shootings against Jewish schools in Montreal

2023-11-09 22:16:32

Justin Trudeau denounced a “hatred that has no place in Canada”. Shots were fired at two Jewish religious schools in Montreal during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, without causing any injuries, police announced.

Bullet holes were found on the doors of two Jewish educational institutions in the city of Montreal on Thursday morning, police said. They would have been fired in the middle of the night when the establishments were empty and would therefore have caused no injuries, the authorities said.

“I condemn this anti-Semitic violence in the strongest terms,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, after speaking of a “terrifying” rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas. “This hatred has no place in Canada and we must all denounce it,” he also said.

We learned with horror that Jewish schools in Montreal were targeted by gunfire last night. I condemn this anti-Semitic violence in the strongest possible terms. And I will be clear: this hatred has no place in Canada and we must all denounce it.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 9, 2023

A violent confrontation at a university

The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, launched “an appeal for calm to all Quebecers”, condemning this act as well as a violent confrontation which took place Wednesday in a Montreal university.

I am very concerned about the shootings this morning at Jewish community schools and the violence we saw yesterday at Concordia University. Hatred and violence will never be tolerated in Quebec. The attackers must be punished.

— François Legault (@francoislegault) November 9, 2023

Two student groups claiming to be pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian came to blows at Concordia University, injuring three people, according to the university and the police who had to intervene. An individual was arrested for assault. Swastikas as well as incitement to hatred published online were also reported by the establishment, which mentioned “a worrying increase in acts of intimidation” in recent days.

The Quebec Prime Minister also “called on the police forces” to try to calm the social climate and does not rule out the possibility of banning gatherings taking place on the sidelines of the war in the Middle East.

Earlier this week, Montreal police said they had launched an investigation after a synagogue in the Quebec metropolis was targeted with Molotov cocktails. These actions are part of a resurgence of anti-Semitic acts recorded, particularly in Europe, since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.