Toronto police say there was a 47 per cent increase in the number of hate crimes reported in 2023 and that they have investigated almost 190 incidents so far this year, nearly half of them antisemitic.
Police officials say 365 incidents were reported last year, up from 248 the previous year, and 59 people were charged in relation to 61 of those incidents. More than a third of the incidents that led to charges took place after the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Since Oct. 7, police say they have responded to 1,270 calls for suspected hate crimes and that they are receiving an average of 159 hate crime calls a month.
“We have confirmed 300 suspected hate crimes since October 7th, resulting in 94 arrests and 243 hate crime occurrence related charges,” Deputy Chief Rob Johnson, adding hate crime occurrences are up 64 per cent over the same period last year.
“Anti-Semitism continues to account for more reported hate crimes than any other category. Of the 187 hate crimes so far in 2024, 47 per cent were anti-Semitic.”
The report presented at a meeting of the Toronto Police Service Board on Thursday noted the majority of hate crimes targeted members of the Jewish and 2SLGBTQ+ communities followed by the Black and Muslim communities.
Mischief to property, assault and uttering threats were the most commonly reported criminal offences motivated by hate.
Police say the rise in hate crime incidents has forced them to increase the number of officers assigned to the Hate Crime Unit (HCU) to 32, up from six.
The number of hate crimes occurring at or on public transit locations increased by 52 per cent in 2023 while there was a 23 per cent increase in the number of incidents at or on school property.
Police also noted that there has been a 27 per cent increase in unprovoked assaults targeting members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community.
“Over the past three years there has been a notable rise in anti-2SLGBTQI+ reported occurrences with protests relating to events such as Drag Story Hours, and debates concerning the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity into school curriculums being potential contributing factors,” police said in a report presented Thursday.