Hate Crime & Legal Update: Munk Debate Arrests, Bathurst/Sheppard Enforcement, and Mezuzah Theft Investigation
- Rochelle Direnfeld
- Dec 10, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 11, 2025
Arrests at Munk Debate
Last week’s Munk Debate, held at Meridian Hall in Toronto, saw two arrests by Toronto Police.
The subject of the debate was whether it is in Israel’s national interest to support a two-state solution. Ehud Olmert, former Israeli prime minister, finance minister, and mayor of Jerusalem and Tzipi Livni, Israel’s former justice and foreign minister, argued in favour of a two-state solution. Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and former deputy minister during Benjamin Netanyahu’s second term, and Ayelet Shaked, Israel’s former justice minister and minister of the interior, argued against.
More than two hundred protesters attended the event, many of whom were masked, carrying Palestinian flags. One protester carried a megaphone, shouting to attendees, “Devil-worshipping Zionists! Go to hell. Go back to the slums of Europe!”
Toronto Police were out in full force, utilizing their Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) to warn protesters that they had five minutes to retreat when they approached the building too closely. When some did not retreat, police pushed many protesters back to the line designated as a safe distance from the event. Toronto Police were in full control and for that they are to be commended.
Two individuals were arrested. It is alleged that as officers were directing protesters onto the sidewalk, one assaulted an officer and attempted to disarm him, disappearing into the crowd. Later, both individuals followed an attendee after the event, one of whom uttered a threat against the attendee. The suspects were identified by officers and arrested.
Thomas Zinderdine, 24 of Oakville, was charged with:
Assaulting a peace officer
Disarming a peace officer
Criminal harassment
Uttering threats
Meagan London, 21, of Toronto was charged with criminal harassment. Both were released by police and are required to appear in court at 10 Armoury St. in Toronto on Friday January 23, 2026, at 11:00 AM in courtroom 203.
Several protesters did manage to breach security and gain entry to the event in an attempt to disrupt it, but they were quickly removed by security officers.
Bathurst/Sheppard Update
As many are aware, commencing on Sunday, October 13, 2023, a weekly vigil to express support for the hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, and their families was held at the northwest corner of Bathurst and Sheppard in Toronto. The vigils continued for over a year without incident, until, approximately 11 months after the vigil began, counter-protesters began to appear on the northeast corner of the intersection.
The weekly vigil ended on October 19, 2025, after the last live hostage was returned to Israel. However, the counter-protesters have continued to attend the intersection on Sunday mornings. Beginning in early November, these protesters, with no hostage vigil attendees present, began to enter the neighborhood of Bathurst Manor. Many were masked, carrying Palestinian flags and chanting antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric in an attempt to intimidate and harass residents of the neighbourhood.
They also marched in close proximity to the Lodzer Centre Congregation, a synagogue founded by Holocaust survivors, in clear violation of the City of Toronto’s recently passed bubble by-law legislation. One protester appeared to be cosplaying the now deceased Hamas spokesperson, Abu Obaida as the protester marched with others down the neighbourhood side streets.
Community members expressed outrage at the apparent lack of enforcement of the law by the Toronto Police Service, who were seen, at times, accompanying protesters as they marched through the neighbourhood. Deputy Chief Robert Johnson explained to MP Roman Baber during questioning by him at the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, that the TPS had received legal advice that the protesters’ conduct had not crossed the threshold into criminality.
We beg to differ and explained as much on Greg Brady’s, The Morning Show. We argued that these protesters were, in our opinion engaged in an unlawful assembly, some while masked (an additional offence) and were also possibly committing offences of criminal harassment by threatening conduct, intimidation and mischief (interfering with the lawful use and enjoyment of property).
This past Sunday, the protesters appeared again, but this week was different. Protesters were confined to marching up and down Sheppard Avenue because Toronto Police had blocked off entrances into the neighbourhood via the side streets.
While we welcome this latest development in TPS protest strategy, we continue to advocate for police availing themselves of the full range of criminal law options to combat bias, prejudice and hate-motivated offences. We also advocate for a robust policy on policing protests and demonstrations that incorporates zero tolerance for hate.
Theft of Mezuzahs at Toronto Senior Residence
This past Sunday morning, Toronto Police received a call for a theft at a seniors’ residence in North Toronto. The building, in the Bathurst and Steeles area of Toronto, is owned by the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation and is home to many Jewish seniors.
Multiple residents awoke to find that their mezuzahs had been ripped from their doorways. While police initially reported at least 20 mezuzahs stolen, they have since updated that number to roughly 30.
According to reporting by The Canadian Jewish News, community leaders – including rabbis, political offices, and some tenants – believe the true number may be far higher, ranging anywhere from 60 to 110 missing mezuzahs. Police acknowledge that their confirmed count is likely low but note that each incident must be reported individually before they can formally record it.
The Toronto Police Service Hate Crime Unit is investigating and has appealed to the public for assistance.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-3500, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.
Our Canadian Criminal Law Working Group is available to assist victims and complainants with bias, prejudice and hate motivated criminal complaints. For further information and/or a confidential consultation, please contact info@cclwg.ca.
About the Author
Rochelle Direnfeld is ALCCA's Senior Criminal Counsel. She was called to the Ontario bar in 1990 and has served in the Ontario Public Service for over 32 years as an assistant crown attorney, deputy crown attorney, crown counsel, and finally as a deputy director for Toronto Crown Attorneys in the Criminal Law Division of the Ministry of the Attorney General. Rochelle retired from public service at the end of 2023. During her career, Rochelle prosecuted a wide variety of Criminal Code cases in the Ontario Court of Justice, Superior Court of Justice, and the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Rochelle focused a large part of her career on youth criminal justice, developing policy as well as training and lecturing crowns, the defence bar, the judiciary, and the police. Since 2018, Rochelle has been committed to battling hate-motivated offences and has sat on the Attorney General’s Hate Crime Working Group, providing legal advice to crown counsel and police on hate crimes. In the aftermath of October 7, Rochelle returned to work with the Hate Crime Working Group at Crown Law Office - Criminal until November 2024. Rochelle also serves as vice-chair of the Board of Directors of BOOST Child and Youth Advocacy Centre, a wrap-around agency serving children and youth who have been victims of abuse, as well as their families.