Trudeau condemns shots fired at Jewish schools
STORY: Canadian police are investigating shots fired at two Jewish schools in the city of Montreal overnight Wednesday amid what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has described as a rise in antisemitism.
On social media Thursday Trudeau condemned the incidents at the schools as “violent acts of antisemitism” and called upon Canadians to stand united.
Local media reported that both schools said they found a bullet hole in their front doors when staff arrived Thursday morning.
There were no injuries and it was not clear whether the incidents were linked.
Montreal’s mayor Valerie Plante spoke at a joint press conference with the city’s police, the SPVM.
"This is not who we are here in Montreal. We will not accept it. Every violent and hateful event will be investigated by the SPVM, which spares no efforts to keep our metropolis safe."
Montreal’s deputy police chief called for calm “in view of the observed increase in tension and events related to the Middle East conflict on the territory.”
He said police would increase their visibility at places of worship and other key areas.
In Toronto, police have reported hate crimes against Jews and Muslims have more than doubled the tally for all of 2022 in the three weeks after the initial Hamas attack in Israel on October 7th.
Late Wednesday night, just hours before the shootings, CBC News reported a violent altercation at Concordia University in Montreal between people on opposing sides of the conflict in Israel and Gaza, resulting in injuries and an arrest.
