Montreal police said they will increase their vigilance and visibility in areas where Jewish neighbourhood celebrations are taking place until the end of Hanukkah after a mass shooting in Australia.
Fifteen people were killed and at least 38 injured after two gunmen attacked a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday. Australian authorities said it was a terrorist attack designed to target the Jewish community.
Following the deadly attack, Montreal police said in a written statement that they wished to “reassure the people of Montreal.”
“We are in direct contact with leaders of Montreal’s Jewish community and are listening to their concerns,” wrote the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
“We are currently reviewing our position on the ground … The SPVM is committed and present to ensure the safety of all populations.”
Mayor of Montreal Soraya Martinez Ferrada also issued a statement on X, saying that the “attack on a Jewish community in Australia breaks my heart.”
“A day of great celebration and love has been turned into an act of violence and anti-Semitism,” she wrote. “I spoke with SPVM Chief Fady Dagher to ensure that our police officers increase their level of vigilance in Montreal’s Jewish communities.”
Quebec Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, a former special adviser on Jewish community relations and antisemitism for the Trudeau government, spoke to CBC News Network following the attack.
He said with antisemitic attacks on the rise, hate laws must be amended, with more money put toward security.
“Pretty much every Jewish Canadian feels distraught today, and I think hopefully all Canadians feel distraught today in solidarity with our Jewish communities and the people of Australia,” said Housefather.’
He added that every Canadian should join a Hanukkah event “because Jews should not be deterred from practising their religion in public in this country.”
In a statement, the city of Côte Saint-Luc, home to a large Jewish community on the island of Montreal, said it was grieving for those lost and their families.
“If people of any faith, peace loving Canadians, cannot safely hold community events then something fundamental has been lost in our free societies,” wrote the city, adding that it would do “everything in its power” to ensure the safety of its residents and community institutions.
