Liberal Jewish candidates, Singh face racist attacks during election campaign

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OTTAWA – Liberal candidate Anthony Housefather said 20 more of his election posters were found Tuesday with swastikas drawn on them.

The posters of Housefather and Liberal candidate Rachel Bendayan, both Jewish and running for re-election in Montreal, have been the subject of anti-Semitic vandalism since last week.

Housefather says one of his posters was found with a photo of Hitler on it, and around 40 of his posters were defaced with Nazi signs.

He says this kind of vandalism distracts him and his team from what he should be focusing on during the campaign as they have to replace the posters and report it to the police.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made a racist remark against him while campaigning Wednesday morning in Windsor, Ont.

At a campaign event in a park, a man shouted “come home” from a passing vehicle, while Singh, who was born in Scarborough, Ont., And raised in Windsor, continued his speech without be discouraged.

Speaking to reporters at a subsequent press conference, Singh said he does not “focus on himself” when this sort of thing happens, but is concerned about the rise of hatred in Canada. .

Housefather says politicians like him are used to having “thick skin,” but those who have never run for office before or are considering running in the future may drop out of politics due to toxicity.

He says anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, black and Asian racism are all on the rise in Canada, noting the growth of hatred on social media before it hits the streets with graffiti and racial slurs. .

A survey of 2,000 Canadian residents by Abacus Data for the Canadian Race Relations Foundation in January found that 78 percent of respondents are concerned about the spread of hate speech online and 60 percent say the federal government should do so. more to prevent the spread of hate speech. and racist comments online.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 25, 2021.

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