Newsfeed & Content Library

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.

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.

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.

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.