Police in Toronto looks into vandalised posters depicting Israeli children abducted

The police in Toronto are looking into drawings of swastikas on posters of children who were kidnapped by Hamas. This happened on the same day a new campaign to raise awareness about hate crimes was started.

Pictures of the damaged posters were posted on X by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal. The group says they found the posters in Cedarvale Park this morning.

The police in Toronto know about the incident and are investigating it.

Mayor Olivia Chow described the graffiti as “awful” in a post on X.

“I have been talking to the Parks, Forestry, and Recreation department. ” “They will take down the messed up posters fast,” Chow wrote in her post. “This is a terrible thing, and I strongly oppose antisemitism in our city. ”

The city’s Jewish community had a big gathering on Sunday at Nathan Phillips Square to remember six months since the Oct 7. During the massacre, Hamas fighters went through a barrier from the Gaza Strip and killed about 1,200 Israelis. They also took hundreds of others as hostages.

Israel’s attack after the October 7 incident. According to the Gaza health ministry run by Hamas attacks have killed over 33,000 people.

The posters were damaged in a park in Toronto on the same day that a new campaign to raise awareness about hate crimes was started by Toronto Crime Stoppers and the Toronto Police Service.

“The campaign aims to stop and get rid of acts of hate that are hurting communities. ” The campaign wants to teach and motivate people in the community to tell the police or Toronto Crime Stoppers about hate crimes and other crimes.

Hate-motivated crimes have a big effect on many people. Deputy Chief Robert Johnson said in a statement that the impact of the trauma goes beyond just the victim and affects everyone in the community and even further. “People who are worried about something they see can help stop crime by calling the police or giving information to Crime Stoppers. This is really important for keeping our city safe. ”

The posters say that hate crimes can make people feel lonely, can lead to more violence, and have a big impact on our communities.

They want people to “see it, say it, stop it” and tell the police or use Crime Stoppers to report any incidents.

Toronto police have noticed that there have been more hate crimes during the Israel-Hamas war.