New Arrests Made for Wilful Promotion of Hatred at Bathurst and Sheppard
- ALCCA Staff
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
On Friday, August 7, 2026, members of Toronto Police Service’s Hate Crime Unit executed a search warrant leading to the arrests of Daniela Bonamico, 40, and Shahram Nayeb-Yazdi, 63, each charged with wilful promotion of hatred and public incitement of hatred. Both accused persons are well known to those of us involved in combatting hatred targeting Jewish and Israeli community members. Bonamico is also a prolific online purveyor of antisemitic/antizionist content.
The charges relate to a March 15, 2026 demonstration that allegedly involved the display of antisemitic signs and related activities in the vicinity of the Bathurst and Sheppard intersection.
Six other individuals were also charged in April and June 2026 with public incitement of hatred and wilful promotion of hatred arising out of the same events. Three of those six individuals also face charges of wearing a disguise with the intent of committing an indictable offence.
We reported on these charges in earlier legal updates (see a previous Bathurst–Sheppard legal update and Why Bathurst and Sheppard Matters).
Bonamico was released on a surety bail pending trial. Her conditions of release include: not to possess any antisemitic hate propaganda, not contact or communicate, directly or indirectly, with any of the seven other accused parties, not be within 500 metres of the Bathurst-Sheppard intersection, not attend any public protest, vigil or demonstration unless in the direct and continuous company of her surety, and not wear a mask or other item that conceals her identity at a protest, vigil or demonstration. She is to return to court on September 2, 2026.
As ALCCA readers know, we repeatedly identified the underutilization of public incitement and wilful promotion of hatred charges as a major issue in cases involving blatant hatred against Jews and Israelis and publicly urged the police to consider these and other charges (such as wearing a disguise) in these situations. The appropriate use of the full range of legal tools available to police and prosecutors, including new offence sections in force as of July 18, forms part of our training and education for law enforcement across the country.
When our community evaluates the policing response to antisemitism in Toronto, Bathurst and Sheppard inevitably comes up. With good reason. Pro-Hamas agitators have chosen over many months to target a predominantly Jewish neighborhood. Their speech often surpasses the merely offensive, rising to the level of hate speech. And their conduct is not designed to persuade anybody, but instead, to harass and intimidate.
We welcome the charges of wilful promotion and public incitement of hatred laid in relation to the March 15 events at Bathurst and Sheppard, and acknowledge, as we have advocated for, that the Attorney General’s consent was obtained, where it was required, in an expeditious manner. This action was coupled with a terrorism charge laid last month, with the consent of both the federal and provincial authorities, against Ahmad Hassan Layosa Hajahmad (also known as Ahmad Jarrar), another prominent protest leader. That charge relates to allegations of participating in or contributing to the activities of Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. As previously reported, Mark Sandler, ALCCA’s Chair, was the original criminal complainant in that matter.
We are grateful to those community members who continue to bring alleged hate crimes to the attention of the Canadian Criminal Law Working Group (CCLWG), led by Rochelle Direnfeld, ALCCA’s Senior Criminal Counsel.
The CCLWG, a joint initiative of ALCCA, CIJA and CJLA, makes senior criminal counsel available to triage criminal allegations and provide assistance to community members who believe they have witnessed or been victimized by a hate crime. Contact the CCLWG at info@cclwg.ca.