AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A new report has revealed a disturbing rise in hate crimes targeting Muslims, Palestinians, and Arabs in Canada since the Israeli regime’s assault on Gaza began on October 7, 2023.
The report, authored by Nadia Hasan of the Islamophobia Studies Center at York University, describes the rise in such crimes as “alarming”.
According to the report’s data, Toronto Police recorded a 1,600% increase in hate crimes against Palestinians and in Islamophobic incidents between October 7 and November 20, 2023. Additionally, the National Council of Canadian Muslims reported a 1,300% rise in Islamophobic cases within the first month after that date, escalating to 1,800% by the end of the year.
The Muslim Legal Support Center also registered 474 human rights complaints from October 2023 to March 2024, 345 of which were related to dismissals or suspensions of individuals due to their support for Palestine.
The report calls for the official recognition of anti-Palestinian racism, stronger responses to hate-motivated crimes, and independent investigations into how public and educational institutions have responded to the crisis.
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