Police in the Canadian city of Mississauga, southwest of Toronto, are investigating after a physician affiliated with a local hospital received an antisemitic death threat, The Toronto Sun reported.
Peel Regional Police said on Thursday that investigators were probing a hate-motivated matter targeting a physician and encouraged anyone who has experienced similar incidents to report it to police or their hate-motivated crime hotline at 905-456-5905.
“We have zero tolerance for hate, threats or violence against anyone in our community and all reported incidents will be investigated to the fullest extent,” Chief Nishan Duraiappah said.
The hospital network, Trillium Health Partners, said a threat was made at a non-hospital workspace against a physician who “identifies as Jewish”.
CP24 reported the hospital boosted its security presence and is working with police and other hospitals on how to assess and respond to security risks.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) for Holocaust Studies said it was “appalled” to learn of the allegations.
“During this time of immense turmoil stemming from the Israel-Hamas war, it’s painful to witness this extreme surge in antisemitism across the Greater Toronto Area,” president and CEO Michael Levitt said. “It is in times of crisis that we see a resurgence of anti-Semitism and this is particularly evident when there’s conflict in the Middle East. This latest incident is a reminder that antisemitism continues to fester in our society and must be confronted.”
The incident occurred amid a rise in incidents of antisemitism, not just in Canada but around the world.
On Wednesday, FSWC said it is deeply disturbed by a recent surge in antisemitic incidents in Toronto.
The statement came a day after the Toronto Police Service notified the public of two incidents that are under investigation, one involving a stolen mezuzah and another consisting of hateful remarks.
The organization noted that other incidents that have taken place across the city involved graffiti depicting the Star of David smeared with red paint to symbolize blood and words such as “Free Palestine” and “Soaked in Blood” above the symbol. Similar graffiti was found at Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute.
This past weekend, an anti-Israel rally targeted Café Landwer, a Jewish-owned restaurant chain, in downtown Toronto, with protesters yelling “boycott” and accusing it of being a “Zionist café.”
Before that, Toronto police three men after threats were directed towards the Jewish high school in the North York district of the city.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)