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Anti-Semitism hits an all-time high in Canada
Updated Wed. Mar. 21 2007 2:13 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff

The highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in Canada were reported in 2006, says the League for Human Rights of B'nai Brith Canada.

Their 2006 Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents revealed 935 incidents in 2006 -- a 12.8 per cent increase over 2005.

The statistics are also four times the levels of a decade ago.

"The 2006 findings indicate that anti-Semitism continues to be an ever-growing threat, emerging from beneath the polite façade of multiculturalism to reveal open hatred against the Jewish people," Frank Dimant, B'nai Brith Canada's executive vice-president, said in a press release.

The incidents reported took place across the country in both rural and urban areas, says the report.

They included "face-to-face encounters, premeditated activities under the cover of night, and threats by mail, telephone and the Internet."

Dimant said the war between Israel and Hezbollah last summer led to a "dramatic upsurge of incidents" in Canada.

"During these months, Canadian Jews suffered a dramatic increase in incidents over the same time frame in 2005, including verbal and physical abuse and violent assaults, with perpetrators vowing 'revenge for Lebanon'."

Det. Sgt. Steve Irwin, of Toronto Police's Hate Crimes Unit, confirmed the report to CTV.ca.

"I can tell you that historically in the Jewish and black community... they have been consistently the most victimized communities."

His department is set to release their own report on Thursday titled 'The Annual Hate-bias Crimes Statistical Report'.

Irwin said that there is "always a concern that there is an underreporting of hate-motivated crimes" in other communities where such incidents occur.

The department tries to encourage various communities to report hate crimes through education, presentations and programs that make it easier to report crimes.

Unlike the police report, which only records acts deemed criminal, the League of Human Rights records all incidents reported.

Irwin said both approaches are necessary because waiting until acts become criminal is often too long.

"Although it may only be name-calling, which is not criminal, it may grow to something criminal," he said.