July Sees a Rise in Antisemitism & Christianophobia

The month of July has seen many hateful incidents targeting Jews and Christians. From attacks on Zionist Jews to Catholic worship spaces being vandalized, the message of “love and inclusivity” preached throughout the month of June has not seemed to have much effect.

Antisemitism 

A fresh wave of rhetoric targeting Jewish people has come from left-wing causes following Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to annex the West Bank. At a pro-Palestine protest in Mississauga, Ontario, protesters were heard chanting “the Jews are our dogs.” 

A more notable incident is that of the Toronto-based Foodbenders eatery and its owner Kimberly Hawkins. Hawkins and her business first made headlines over vulgar statements targeting the Toronto Police Service. She was later found posting Instagram posts with the hashtag #zionistsnotwelcome.

Hawkins’s anti-Zionism received a lot of backlash on the internet, leading Premier Ford himself to step in and condemn such language against the Jewish community. Jewish Ontario PC MPP Roman Baber published a Facebook post comparing the actions of Foodbenders to the ones of businesses in Europe during the Holocaust. 

In his post, Baber mentions consulting with colleagues in the legal sector, and that is exactly what Toronto’s Jewish community has been doing. The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) has filed a human rights complaint against Foodbenders and Hawkins may need to appear in court.

Another recent antisemitic event was the trending of the hashtag “Jewish Privilege” on Twitter. While Jews make up around 1% of the Canadian population, they are the most targeted religious group in the country.

Canada’s alt-right has taken advantage of the recent antisemitic from left wing & pro-Palestine forces. The city of Kitchener is currently investigating a series of Nazi posters that were placed around the city. The leader of the Canadian Nationalist Party also said this week that Jews need to be removed from Canada once and for all. 

In America, actor Nick Cannon was fired by CBS for spreading antisemitic and anti-white conspiracy theories on his podcast. Fox announced that it will not follow suit in firing the actor. Actor Kevin L. Walker also took to Twitter to accuse Jewish people of making Hollywood systemically racist towards black people. 

Christianophobia

Christians remain the most persecuted group in the world, and some of that hatred has arrived in North America in the month of July. This hate has mostly been targeted at Catholics and is a result of the radical left’s cancel culture, fueled by the recent comments of BLM’s Shaun King and CNN’s Don Lemon.

There have been multiple accounts of vandalism at parishes across the United States. The Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Ocala, Florida saw an arson attack on the church and set it on fire while parishioners were still inside. In California, Los Angeles’ historic San Gabriel church was also set ablaze.

Multiple Catholic statues across America have also been vandalized, such as statues of the Virgin Mary in New York and Boston. Vandalism of Christian statues have also been taking place in Canada. In Sudbury, several at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes were vandalized. A statue of Mary lifting Jesus in Markham, Ontario was toppled to the ground.

While leaders like US President Donald Trump and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have condemned these actions and have pledged to take action, it remains to be seen what will be done. Other people in positions of leadership, like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have chosen to remain silent on these issues.