Antisemitic graffiti on a sign outside the courthouse in Ottawa, Canada, c. 2021. Photo: Campaign Against Antisemitism.

JNS.org – Canadian police have released information about last year’s hate crimes, revealing a surge against Jews, now accounting for the most frequent of any group.

Statistics Canada released data on July 25 from 2023 showing that antisemitic incidents account for 19% of hate crimes, now higher than those against LGBTQ persons (18%) and black people (16%). This is the first time that Jews have topped the list.

“Jewish Canadians are now the most frequently targeted group for hate crimes—notoriety to which we never aspired but knew was only a matter of time until we regained,” said Shimon Koffler Fogel, president and CEO at the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

Police reported 900 hate crimes against Jews last year, equating to a 71% increase from 2022 and a 172% increase since 2020. Jews also accounted for 70% of religiously motivated hate crimes, with four times as many compared to those targeting Muslims.

Fogel said that “despite constituting less than 1 percent of the Canadian population, Jewish Canadians were the targets of one-fifth of all hate crimes, revealing exactly how problematic Jew hate has become in Canada and exposing the disproportionate impact the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel is having on our community.”