Toronto police are investigating a possible hate crime after several Israeli flags were set on fire early Wednesday morning in the city's north end. Officers were called to the area of Sunrise Avenue and O'Connor Drive at around 1:30 a.m., where the flags had been burned, according to The Canadian Press.
The flags had been displayed outside the Word of Faith International Christian Centre in East York, CP24 reports. Police say there were no reported injuries and no arrests have been made. The incident is being investigated by the force's hate crime unit.
The burning came on the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, which left about 1,200 people dead and saw more than 200 taken hostage. Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has since killed more than 75,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities, while settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has also risen.
Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford condemned the incident as an 'act of intimidation' against the Jewish community in a social media post Wednesday. 'Hate directed at any community is a threat to every community, and the people responsible for this need to be found and charged,' he wrote. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward.
