Newsfeed & Content Library

Today, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice handed down a sentence of 20 years in the case of Matthew Althorpe, who pleaded guilty in October to three terrorism-related charges.

A recent decision by an Australian tribunal found that the chant “All Zionists are terrorists” constituted incitement of hatred against Jews and did not constitute protected political speech. The decision reinforces the importance of distinguishing between legitimate criticism of Israel and speech that crosses into hate. Its reasoning has clear relevance for how similar conduct should be assessed under Canadian law.

Today, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism, B’nai Brith Canada, Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, Canadian Jewish Law Association, and Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center  welcomed the adoption of Bill C-9 by the House of Commons and urged Parliamentarians to advance more measures to confront Canada’s antisemitism crisis.

ALCCA’s Chair, Mark Sandler sharply criticizes the decision to lay charges of public incitement of hatred against a counter demonstrator at the Al-Quds Day protest, absurdly treating the Islamic Republic of Iran as a victim of hatred. This is doubly troubling given the frequent failure to prosecute legitimate cases of incitement of hatred against Jews and Israelis.

In this legal update, ALCCA’s Senior Criminal Counsel, Rochelle Direnfeld, reviews an Ontario court decision denying the Attorney General’s last-minute bid to halt the Al-Quds Day protest in Toronto. Following the demonstration, Toronto Police laid multiple charges in connection with incidents at the rally, also addressed in an editorial by ALCCA’s Chair, Mark Sandler. Direnfeld also reports on a separate hate crime case involving the playing of a Hitler speech outside a resi

On The Canadian Jewish News’ North Star podcast, ALCCA Senior Criminal Counsel Rochelle Direnfeld joins Michael Teper, President of the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation (CAEF) – an ALCCA member organization – to discuss concerns about the handling of antisemitism-related criminal charges in Toronto.

Recent synagogue shootings in the GTA raise urgent questions about public safety, but policing alone is not the answer. Unpunished hate speech and incitement are helping fuel antisemitic violence.

A new National Post column highlights a striking trend in Canada: many charges tied to anti-Israel protest activity are being dropped, stayed, or diverted. The analysis draws in part on ALCCA’s case tracking, which has identified only a small number of convictions since October 7.

This Hate Crime & Legal Update provides the latest developments on a Toronto assault case.

ALCCA Chair Mark Sandler examines serious deficiencies in Public Safety Canada’s recent report on how the government is purportedly fulfilling commitments it made to combat antisemitism. He explains how both the government and community advocacy must focus on contemporary antisemitism, so often manifested by demonizing and delegitimizing those who support Israel’s right to exist, and what this focus must mean in practice.