You don\u2019t need to be a seasoned detective to recognize this as an antisemitic attack targeting Jewish men for their distinctive dress.<\/p>\n
But the question is, what \u2014 and more important, who \u2014 are we dealing with here?<\/p>\n
There has been an evolution in how hate is manifesting itself in Montreal recently. And the different types and culprits being identified may demand more tailored responses, be it from police, political leaders or society at large.<\/p>\n
Political polarization and frictions over wars in the Middle East have roiled the social climate in this city.<\/p>\n
Hate crimes have surged dramatically in Montreal since Oct. 7, 2023. Many Jewish institutions \u2014 from schools to synagogues \u2014 have been struck by vandalism<\/a>, firebombings or bullets.\u00a0The Muslim community has also been dealing with rising Islamophobia.<\/p>\n But are Montrealers turning against each other as tensions flare? Or are deep rifts being exploited to undermine the city\u2019s resilient social fabric? If so, by whom? <\/p>\n Far-right groups have been active in Montreal lately \u2014 and are making themselves more visible.<\/p>\n An investigative journalist uncovered that white nationalists were grooming and recruiting new members at a gym<\/a> in St-L\u00e9onard.<\/p>\n A city councillor in Notre-Dame-de-Gr\u00e2ce, another neighbourhood where diversity thrives, warned locals about the presence of a well-known extremist agitator and urged the public to call police if he was seen bothering anyone.<\/p>\n Just over a month ago, masked white supremacists unfurled a banner in a Shawinigan park<\/a>, one of many gatherings across Canada that day to amplify and normalize their hateful message. That didn\u2019t occur in Montreal, but it still hit close to home.<\/p>\n The coward who lashed out Friday night may not have acted alone. The number of incidents, as well as the modus operandi, suggest there could have been multiple perpetrators.<\/p>\n Could this be yet another example of groups with nefarious agendas flexing or was it a lone individual?<\/p>\n As Montrealers know too well, a single, troubled individual can, indeed, cause untold carnage.<\/p>\n Late last month, a gunman with a hodgepodge of apparent grievances \u2014 against women, Zionists, police, capitalists, pornography \u2014 unleashed a bloodbath in C\u00f4te-des-Neiges<\/a> that cost a police officer and a bystander their lives.<\/p>\n The killer came from Alberta<\/a>, but he chose our city to carry out his lethal violence. It\u2019s a tragic example of how toxic ideologies are being freely peddled and poisoning minds in the unsupervised echo chambers of the internet. Radicalization can be a solo venture as well as a group activity.<\/p>\n But in a new wrinkle, it now seems like hate crimes are also being committed on demand, by proxy.<\/p>\n Gunfire aimed at the American consulate and synagogues in Toronto is alleged to have been ordered by a foreign terrorist<\/a> who contracted hooligans locally to exact revenge for the U.S. and Israel bombing Iran, according to the FBI.<\/p>\n However, the recent court hearing for a man charged with setting a fire at a synagogue in Dollard-des-Ormeaux in 2024 shed light on how this worrisome trend may be playing out in Montreal.<\/p>\n The D.D.O. arsonist testified that he was offered $15,000 by someone he didn\u2019t know<\/a> over FaceTime to set a fire at an address he claimed he only realized after the fact was a synagogue.<\/p>\n The accused was vague and reluctant to reveal who hired him, leaving Montrealers to speculate. Are attacks that sow fear in our city also being masterminded by shadowy foreign actors far away? Is this the work of local gangsters, who are also known to lure wayward youth into committing serious crimes via social media? <\/p>\n Who else would offer money to terrorize communities, intimidate citizens and undermine our way of life?<\/p>\n These are urgent questions.<\/p>\n Montrealers who cherish mingling with neighbours of different origins on safe streets must be vigilant for signs of hatred in our midst and treat an attack on one person or group as an attack on us all. <\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n
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