Toronto police investigate fire at Jewish-owned business, graffiti 'targeted', hate-motivated

Toronto police say their hate crime unit is investigating a fire at a Jewish-owned grocery store.

Police say the fire is being investigated as a suspected hate arson. The graffiti is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Support employees. Toronto Police spokeswoman Pauline Gray told reporters Wednesday that International Delicatessen Foods, located on West Steeles Avenue near Petrolia Road, was targeted.

“I've been a criminal investigator for the vast majority of my career, and most of these criminal investigations have a tipping point. This is the tipping point,” Gray said near the scene.

“This is not graffiti on a bus shelter. This is not a legitimate protest protected by a constitutional right. This is criminal activity. This is violence, it is targeted, it is organized and it will take the weight of the Toronto Police Service. It is exactly what it deserves,” he added.

“We leave no stone unturned. We will use all resources at our disposal to investigate, arrest and prosecute whoever is responsible.”

On Wednesday morning, the owner of the company confirmed to CBC Toronto that he is Jewish and said he believed the vandalism was an act of anti-Semitism.

The company's name is displayed above the building's entrance as the abbreviation “IDF” in large red letters. The IDF is also an acronym for the Israel Defense Forces, which is currently waging war in the Gaza Strip.

The company's name is displayed above the building's entrance as the abbreviation “IDF” in large red letters. (CBC)

The windows of the enterprise were broken during the incident, but no one was injured.

Police and firefighters were called to the scene around 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. When firefighters arrived, they saw smoke coming from the back. Firefighters entered the building and quickly extinguished the flames.

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Gray said officers discovered the graffiti on the outside of the building when the fire was discovered.

He said police suspect the incident was motivated by hate and believe it was done “out of bias or prejudice.”

“We started the investigation very early and I have to say that it was organized, they were not just in this business. Let's not be stupid here. These people targeted this business, so they targeted this business. They have been here before,” he said. he is.

“Hatred and violence are not allowed here”: mayor

The arson and graffiti followed a Toronto police board meeting in December where Chief Miron Demkiv said anti-Semitism accounted for the majority of reported hate crimes since the Oct. 7 war between Israel and Hamas. Police have previously noted that hate crimes are often underreported due to fear of retaliation.

Police said there were 98 hate crime reports in Toronto between Oct. 7 and Dec. 17, up from 48 in the same period in 2022.

They said there were 56 reports of anti-Semitic crimes against 18 at the same time last year, and two reports of hate crimes against Muslims, Palestinians and Arabs during this period in 2022.

In a statement on Wednesday The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto said it was “outraged and deeply concerned” by the incident.

“Such a hateful act of arson would be the result of three months of hate and intimidation against Toronto's Jewish community. History shows that violent words lead to violence. It must end now,” it said.

The Federation has called on Toronto residents to stand up against growing anti-Semitism in the city.

Police and firefighters were called to the scene around 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. When firefighters arrived, they saw smoke coming from the back. Firefighters entered the building and quickly extinguished the flames. (CBC)

On Wednesday evening, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow released a statement on her former Twitter account, X, saying her office was in contact with police during the investigation.

“Incidents like this shake people up. They undermine our sense of safety and belonging. All Torontonians deserve to feel safe and secure,” Chow said.

“As mayor, let me be clear: anti-Semitism, hatred and violence are not welcome here.”

Number. York Central Ward 6 Representative James Pasternak said he was “shocked and appalled” by the attack on the grocery store.

Pasternak said that the “intensification of lawlessness” in the city should be stopped.

Number. Eglinton-Lawrence Ward 8 spokesman Mike Colle believes the store may have been targeted because of an acronym on the front of the building that resembles the Israel Defense Forces.

“At the end of the day, they hurt the business and created all kinds of fear,” he said.

Coll said other business owners may be wondering who to hit next. “That's a real threat in Toronto right now.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen the business's dashboard camera over the past few days to come forward.

“If you have a business in the area, don't just look at it today, not just last night, look at it for a few days and really focus on someone or someone who you think may have committed this crime,” Gray added.

The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office and the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario are also involved in the fire investigation.