The Government of Quebec province in Canada has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance following a spate of antisemitic incidents last month.
Anti-Racism Minister, Benoît Charette, said: “It is our duty to take all possible means to combat antisemitism. This is why the Government of Quebec is joining the renewed international effort by adopting, as many countries, parliaments and international organizations have done.”
The decision comes after Canada was rocked by a significant increase in antisemitic incidents during the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
On the weekend of 15th May in Montreal, police had to intervene using tear gas after a rally in support of Israel was interrupted by counter-protesters. Rocks were thrown at pro-Israel demonstrators and several antisemitic slurs were said to have been used. Antisemitic signs featuring Nazi imagery were also spotted among the counter-protesters.
In Côte St. Luc, a suburb of Montreal with a sizeable Jewish population, two men aged nineteen and twenty were arrested for allegedly threatening the Jewish community.
Jewish residents of Montreal have also been subjected to antisemitic harassment online and death threats and the synagogues in the area were given added security, while police have increased their presence in areas with Jewish communities as a “preventative” measure.
