Newsfeed & Content Library

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.

Recent terrorism-related cases in Canada and abroad reveal an urgent need for stronger enforcement, prevention, and policy action. In this joint article, ALCCA Chair Mark Sandler – and Senior Criminal Counsel Rochelle Direnfeld – examine new threats – from ISIS-inspired plots to domestic extremism – and present ALCCA’s 11 updated Calls to Action to strengthen Canada’s response to terrorism and violent hate.

Canada has issued its first conviction for Wilful Promotion of Antisemitism. Rochelle Direnfeld, ALCCA’s Senior Criminal Counsel, explains the case, its impact, and the court’s strong stance against hate.

On Yom Kippur at Temple Sinai, Rochelle Direnfeld – ALCCA’s Senior Criminal Counsel – joined Rabbi Michael Dolgin to share updates on ALCCA’s legal work. She highlighted efforts to train police and prosecutors, support victims, and advocate for stronger hate-crime enforcement, while reviewing antisemitism trends, recent cases, Bill C-9, and the emerging concept of Anti-Palestinian Racism (APR).

In a new editorial, ALCCA Chair Mark Sandler warns of a nearly 500% surge in terrorism-related charges in Canada, with plots often targeting Jews and other vulnerable groups. He outlines the strain on law enforcement, Canada’s role as a hub for terrorist financing, and urgent steps for government and Parliament to take action.

ALCCA Chair Mark Sandler examines the continuing threat posed by Samidoun, a federally incorporated not-for-profit that was designated a prohibited terrorist group nearly a year ago.

This legal update examines the Montreal assault case and a Victoria hate incitement charge, highlighting key issues in Canada’s response to antisemitic crime.

In this in-depth legal analysis, ALCCA Chair Mark Sandler joins Senior Criminal Counsel Rochelle Direnfeld and veteran criminal lawyer Cynthia Fromstein to examine the sentencing decision in R. v. Akbari. The authors explain why, in their view, the sentence imposed failed to adequately address the need for general deterrence and denunciation.

Iain Aspenlieder has pleaded guilty to vandalizing the National Holocaust Monument. As his defence prepares to frame the act as morally driven, we must confront the reality: targeting Jewish symbols in protest fuels antisemitism and endangers Canadian Jews. This cannot be normalized.

An overview of new hate crime charges, court updates, and sentencing developments in Toronto and Winnipeg — plus a look at Canada’s latest hate crime statistics.