Election candidates face anti-Semitism and racism in election campaign – National

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Dozens of election signs from four Liberal candidates in Ontario and Quebec were vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti while NDP leader Jagmeet Singh was shouted racist remarks.

Liberal candidate Anthony Housefather said 20 more of his election posters were found on 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.

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

“Now every day we find new ones,” Housefather said.

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

“It’s like a punch in the stomach. It’s hurtful, ”he said.

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York Regional Police said on Tuesday they were investigating the vandalism of more than 10 election signs belonging to two Liberal Party candidates in Aurora, Ont.

Liberal Newmarket-Aurora candidate Tony Van Bynen posted photos of his election signs with swastikas and the word “Nazis” sprayed on Twitter.

“I’m sorry for members of the Jewish community who must have seen these signs,” he said in the tweet.

Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill candidate Leah Taylor Roy also posted pictures of the same type of vandalism on her campaign posters.

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“I was deeply disturbed to learn from (York Regional Police) that my signs were defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti,” Leah Taylor Roy said on Twitter Tuesday.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made a racist remark against him while campaigning on Wednesday 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 get discouraged.

Speaking to reporters at a subsequent press conference, Singh said he did not “focus on himself” when this sort of thing happened, but was concerned about the growing level of hatred. in Canada.

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“I am thinking of the rise in hatred that a lot of people have to face,” he said.

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“I worry about people in the Muslim community who are worried about the attacks on Muslims and the rise in hatred. I’m concerned about anti-Semitism, we have seen attacks on synagogues, attacking and targeting Jews.

Housefather, who won eight elections, became a Montreal city councilor three times, mayor three more times and MP twice, said he had never seen his posters vandalized with swastikas before.

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

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“Members of minority communities would notice. I think it can get people to say, “I don’t want to go into this business” no matter how talented they are because they don’t want such things to happen to them, “he said. declared.

He says anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and 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. .

“People seem, for some reason, much more free to express negative feelings towards minority communities,” he said.

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Singh also said that much of the hatred against minority communities is fueled by disinformation online.

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Housefather pointed out that the Liberal government introduced new law shortly before the House of Commons adjourned for the summer that he said would force social media companies to suppress hate speech and any illegal statements in Canada. . He also urged the government to work with businesses to ensure they remove content that violates their own policies.

The bill died when the election was called. But Housefather said the issue would remain a priority for him and his party.

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.

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A Facebook Canada spokesperson was not available for an official comment on the story, but shared information and data about the company’s efforts to tackle hate speech on its platform.

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Company data shows it removed 31.5 million pieces of content for violating Facebook’s hate speech policies in the second quarter of this year alone.

Facebook says it supports “thoughtful regulation and stands ready to work with Canadian policymakers to develop and pass the necessary legislation.”

In October, Facebook announced it would ban Holocaust-denying content. The company worked with the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants to fight anti-Semitism.

© 2021 The Canadian Press

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