Bais Chaya elementary school shootings

Last updated

In 2024, the Bais Chaya Mushka Girls Elementary School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was targeted in three shooting incidents. No one was injured and the shootings took place during evenings, with no children present.

Contents

Incidents

The series of attacks began in May 2024, with subsequent shootings occurring in October (during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur) and December of the same year. [1] [2] [3] In each incident, the school building was damaged by gunfire, though students were able to continue attending classes. [1] The shootings took place during a period of increased antisemitic incidents across Canada following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Gaza war. [4] [3] Specifically, the third shooting occurred within days of the firebombing of Congregation Beth Tikva in Montreal. [5] [6]

Response

Law enforcement and government

After the May 30 attack, councillor Mike Colle called on the province of Ontario to enhance penalties for acts of hate or violence committed near schools. [7] Toronto Police arrested two individuals in conjunction with the October attack. [2] [3] In December, after the third shooting, the Government of Canada announced that a conference would be held in which political leaders would discuss strategies to combat antisemitism. [8] [9] [6]

Premier Doug Ford faced criticism after he made remarks suggesting that immigrants were to blame for the school shooting in May, saying "don’t come to Canada if you’re going to start terrorizing neighbourhoods like this, simple as that." [10] [11] [12] [13] Ontario Liberal Party leader Bonnie Crombie described the comments as "wrong-headed" and "very intolerant behaviour". [14] In response, Toronto Police Services said it was too early to determine if the shootings were hate-motivated. [11]

Community

In response to the first shooting, members of the Jewish community held a rally at the school to denounce the shooting. [15]

International

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli condemned the attacks, saying "Canada is no longer safe for Jews" and criticizing Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau's response. [16] [17] [18] Liberal Member of Parliament and advisor to Trudeau Anthony Housefather disagreed, describing Chikli's remarks as "a false and exaggerated statement", saying that despite the increase in antisemitism, Canada "remains one of the best places in the world for Jews to live." [16] [18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Strauss, Joseph (20 December 2024). "Toronto Jewish girls' school targeted by gunfire for 3rd time this year". The Forward . Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  2. 1 2 Nielsen, Kevin (20 December 2024). "Shots fired at Jewish elementary school in Toronto for 3rd time this year". Global News . Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Warmington, Joe (18 October 2024). "Arrests made in Yom Kippur shooting of North York Jewish girls elementary school". Toronto Sun . Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  4. ↑ "Canada: Jewish school hit by gunfire amid shocking rise in antisemitism". www.i24news.tv. 12 October 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  5. ↑ Dawson, Tyler (20 December 2024). "Toronto Jewish girls' school shot at for third time: 'It's horrifying'" . Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  6. 1 2 Isai, Vjosa (20 December 2024). "Jewish School in Toronto Is Targeted for a Third Time". New York Times . Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  7. ↑ Lavoie, Joanna (30 May 2024). "Toronto councillor calls on province to set up Safe School Zones after shots fired at Jewish school". CP24. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  8. ↑ Starr, Michael (22 December 2024). "Canada in crisis: Gov't to convene national forum after Jewish school shooting, synagogue arson". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  9. ↑ Aziz, Saba (21 December 2024). "Ottawa announces antisemitism forum in the wake of school shootings | Globalnews.ca". Global News . Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  10. ↑ "Ford suggests immigrants to blame for shooting at Jewish school". CBC . 30 May 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  11. 1 2 Benzie, Robert (31 May 2024). "Doug Ford unrepentant after furor over comments suggesting immigrants were behind school shooting: 'I stick with what I said'". Toronto Star . Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Casey, Liam (30 May 2024). "Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting". Canadian Press . Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  13. ↑ Benzie, Robert (31 May 2024). "Doug Ford slammed for 'racist' remarks after suggesting immigrants to blame for shooting at Toronto Jewish school". Toronto Star. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  14. ↑ Benzie, Robert (3 June 2024). "Bonnie Crombie slams Doug Ford for 'wrong-headed' comments about attack on Jewish school". Toronto Star . Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  15. ↑ Carter, Adam (27 May 2024). "Rally held outside Toronto Jewish school after shooting" . Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  16. 1 2 "Chikli, Jewish Canadian MP exchange blows on rising antisemitism in Canada". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 22 December 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  17. ↑ "'The Vatican was silent during the Holocaust, now it spreads modern blood libels': MK Chikli". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  18. 1 2 "Israeli, Canadian officials clash over whether Great White North is safe for Jews". Jewish News Syndicate | JNS.org. 21 December 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.