Toronto police investigating defaced posters of kidnapped Israeli children as they launch new awareness campaign about hate crimes
CTV
Toronto police are investigating after swastikas were drawn on posters of children who were kidnapped by Hamas, an incident which came to light on the same day that a new hate crimes awareness campaign was launched.
Toronto police are investigating after swastikas were drawn on posters of children who were kidnapped by Hamas, an incident which came to light on the same day that a new hate crimes awareness campaign was launched.
Images of the defaced posters were shared in a post on X by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal. According to the group, the posters were found in Cedarvale Park this morning.
Toronto police confirmed that they are aware of the incident and said they have launched an investigation.
In a post on X, Mayor Olivia Chow called the graffiti "vile."
"My office has been in contact with Parks, Forestry, and Recreation. They will quickly remove the vandalized posters," Chow said in her post. "This is a vile act, and I condemn antisemitism in our city."
On Sunday the city's Jewish community held a large rally at Nathan Phillips Square to mark six months since the Oct. 7 massacre, which saw Hamas fighters break through a barrier from the Gaza Strip and slaughter around 1,200 Israelis while taking hundreds of others hostage.
Israel's offensive in response to the Oct. 7 attack has killed more than 33,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
