Audit finds dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents in Canada

Canada has seen record levels of antisemitic incidents in 2021 according to an audit by Jewish advocacy group B’Nai Brith.

The analysis found that there were 2,799 antisemitic hate crimes that year, including assaults, synagogue vandalism, and swastika graffiti in schools. 

This marks a seven percent increase from 2020, though incidents involving violence saw a 700 percent increase, up from nine in 2020 to 75 in 2021. 

The report found this was consistent with the escalation of the conflict between Israel and the genocidal antisemitic terror group Hamas in May last year.

There has been a Jewish presence in Canada that dates back to the establishment of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749. According to data collected by Statistics Canada and the United Jewish Federations of Canada in 2011, the country had 391,665 Jews, making up 1.2 percent of the total population.

The audit also noted that there has been a “surge” in such incidents taking place on university campuses, which have become “significant breeding grounds for antisemitism.”

B’nai Brith’s Senior Legal Counsel, David Martas, said that “If you are Jewish, you are more likely to be a victim of a hate crime by far than if you are a member of another minority.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.