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.

Following reports of antisemitic propaganda displayed at a demonstration near Bathurst and Sheppard, ALCCA Senior Criminal Counsel Rochelle Direnfeld joined Deb Hutton on Newstalk 1010 to discuss the legal implications and broader concerns.

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.

The Justice Committee has reported Bill C-9 (the Combatting Hate Act) back to the House of Commons with amendments. Read ALCCA’s analysis of the proposed changes.

In an interview on the Toronto Today podcast, ALCCA Chair Mark Sandler discusses the legal complexities surrounding calls for an emergency injunction to stop Toronto’s Al-Quds Day rally. Sandler explains the high legal threshold for restraining events before they occur, while outlining concerns about prior rallies, potential criminal offences, and the need for vigilant enforcement of existing laws.

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.

This Hate Crime & Legal Update reviews three recent cases with significant legal implications: hate-motivated offences targeting Jewish institutions in York Region and Toronto, events outside the Prosserman Jewish Community Centre in Toronto, and the Montreal conviction of activist Yves Engler for harassing a police investigator.