Man faces rare charge of advocating genocide against Jewish community, Toronto police say

A Toronto man is facing the rare charge of advocating genocide, in addition to more than two dozen other offences allegedly motivated by hatred toward the Jewish community, police say.

Amir Arvahi Azar, 32, was arrested on Jan. 11 for incidents that took place between April 26, 2024 and Jan. 3, 2025, Toronto police said in a news release Monday. Police said they are unable to provide further details about the alleged crimes due to a publication ban.

Azar faces 29 charges, including wilful promotion of hatred, which together with advocating genocide, requires the consent of the Ministry of the Attorney General.

The charges have not been tested in court.

Hate crime expert Barbara Perry says law enforcement has an incredibly high bar to clear when deciding whether to lay such charges.

"These charges tend to be reserved for the most serious, the most threatening kind of crimes," said Perry, who is director for the centre on hate, bias and extremism at Ontario Tech University.

"There are a whole array of factors that [law enforcement is] going to be looking at here," she said.

"Is he really encouraging and inciting hatred towards others? Is he trying to foment hatred and hostility towards, in this case, the Jewish community? How blatant is that language? What's the context? Where is it occurring? Is it online? Is it offline."

History shows it's difficult to prove those charges in court, Perry said.

From 2010 to 2020, 305 charges for hate-crime-related offences were processed in Canadian courts, according to an internal study by the federal government, of which wilful promotion of hatred made up 85 per cent and advocating genocide made up only six per cent. Of the 81 hate crime cases completed that decade, only 43 per cent ended with a finding of guilt, the study found.

Azar's charges also include arson, public incitement of hatred, criminal harassment, mischief to cultural property and multiple weapons offences.

Deputy Chief Rob Johnson said the charges were the result of a months-long investigation led by the centralized hate crimes unit.

"We know that these charges are very serious and that people are concerned," Johnson said in a video statement. "I want to assure everyone that we will continue to do everything we can to keep our communities safe."

Azar was released following a bail hearing Monday, police said, with several conditions imposed, including house arrest with an ankle monitor.