Kosher restaurant set on fire in Montreal; Canada criticized for government indifference

A kosher restaurant in Montreal was set on fire early Saturday morning, causing heavy damage. The Public Safety Minister condemned the incident, but many responses criticized his words as lip service. Police are investigating a suspected hate crime, amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in Canada since October 7.

The kosher restaurant 'Nöam' in Montreal was set on fire early Saturday morning, around 3:15 a.m., on Decarie Boulevard in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood. Dozens of firefighters worked for hours to control the blaze, which caused heavy damage to the restaurant and a nearby business. No injuries were reported. Canada's Public Safety Minister, Gary Anandasangaree, expressed deep concern and wrote that this appears to be an arson of a place serving as a hub for the Jewish community. The post drew many responses criticizing his words as lip service against a backdrop of a government policy lenient toward antisemitism. Federal MP Anthony Housefather called for the arson to be investigated as a hate crime. Police transferred the investigation to the arson unit and reviewed security camera footage showing a masked person pouring flammable liquid and setting the place on fire. The incident shocked the Jewish community, amid a sharp rise of about 124% in antisemitic incidents in Canada over five years, and according to B'nai Brith, about 5,791 incidents in 2023 compared to about 2,100 in 2018. Since October 7, there has been an additional increase of about 208%.