Mayor Olivia Chow termed the violence ‘a despicable antisemitic act’
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TORONTO — Two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish girls school in suburban Toronto early Saturday, the latest outburst of antisemitic violence in Canada to draw condemnation from political and Jewish leaders.
There were no reported injuries in the 4:52 a.m. shooting at Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School in North York.
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Israel’s consul-general in Toronto, Idit Shamir, said the gunmen shot five rounds.
“Can we be surprised that violence escalates when there is no deterrence following antisemitic attacks on Jewish students?” Shamir said on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
She shared a video showing two black-clad men exit a black vehicle being driven by a third person and hover briefly outside a fence before opening fire and fleeing. The provenance of the video, which was shared widely on X, is unclear.
“I completely understand that this can cause concern and fear and anxiety in the community,” Toronto police Insp. Paul Krawczyk told reporters, according to CP24. “The Toronto police is going to ensure that community safety is of the utmost importance.”
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Krawczyk said the force’s hate crime unit is aiding the investigation, but it was too early to say if the shooting was a hate crime.
Mayor Olivia Chow termed the violence “a despicable antisemitic act.”
“Jewish children and families should not be made to fear for their safety. Toronto police are increasing their presence around religious schools and synagogues. I am in contact with the chief about the plan to keep children and families safe,” she said on X.
Michael Levitt, president and CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, called on Chow and city council to act immediately to protect Toronto Jews.
“This is a brazen and cowardly attempt to intimidate the Jewish community and let me be clear, we will not cower or hide,” he said.
Premier Doug Ford called the attack “a gross display of antisemitism.
“It’s beyond belief that anyone could be this hateful… These cowards need to be found and brought to justice,” he said on X.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre noted it was only the latest attack on a Jewish school in Canada, and said “police must find and arrest the monsters responsible for this antisemitic hatred and violence.”
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The National Council of Canadian Muslims said it was “disgusted” by the shooting.
“Those pathetic cowards responsible should be brought to justice and face the strongest of punishment,” it said on X.
The shooting follows antisemitic violence and bullying in Toronto and across Canada since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
Kehillat Shaarei Torah Synagogue, also in North York, has been vandalized twice since April. A nearby Jewish-owned grocery store, International Delicatessen Foods, was set ablaze and vandalized in January.
Multiple Jewish students have complained of antisemitic bullying in Toronto and elsewhere. Hundreds of people turned out for a “community support march” after an Israeli-Canadian mother said two of her children have experienced repeated bullying and antisemitic threats at a North York school.
On Wednesday, Abdirazak Mahdi Ahmed, 20, was arrested after several shootings at Montreal Jewish schools in November.
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