Jew-hatred drove the Montreal violence, even if it didn’t trigger it - opinion

Historians are trained to avoid rushing to judgment, but the recent Montreal bloodbath, which claimed the lives of a police officer and a civilian, demands a deeper examination beyond initial police claims. Authorities stated the terrorist was not antisemitic, and the murder of a Jewish resident in a Jewish neighborhood was coincidental. However, assuming this conclusion holds, Canadians and their leaders must confront the reality that even if antisemitism did not directly trigger this specific crime, a pervasive lynch-mob mentality against Jews, Zionism, and Israel has driven this and other acts of political violence.

“

He did not resign because of the messages…; he resigned because the university wouldn’t do anything about them.

This argument extends to attacks on areas with no Jewish presence. It is essential to recognize that by tolerating significant levels of antisemitism and "Zionophobia", hostility toward Zionists, many Canadians have inadvertently fostered an atmosphere conducive to political totalitarianism, breeding extremism, zealotry, and violence. Silence often speaks volumes. Those who remain quiet while others harass Jews, Israelis, and Zionists broaden the zone of tolerance for all forms of brutality. In healthy democracies, there are no innocent bystanders; when fellow citizens are besieged, silence becomes complicity.

“

Antisemites around him could be dismissed – it’s hard to feel betrayed by twisted people who celebrated such perversions. But Rosenberg and so many others have felt betrayed by so-called “innocent bystanders” and supposedly responsible administrators who did nothing.

Jesse Brown's March 2026 Atlantic essay, “Canada’s Polite Pogrom,” powerfully illustrates this issue. He recounts how Ed Rosenberg, a University of British Columbia professor, resigned from teaching geriatric medicine after 30 years. Rosenberg did not resign solely because of the antisemitic bile students and colleagues posted after October 7, but because the university failed to act on them. Antisemites could be dismissed as misguided, but Rosenberg and many others felt betrayed by "innocent bystanders" and administrators who remained silent. This selective silence is painful, doubly betraying the targeted and emboldening aggressors.

“

Carney’s 2600-word speech about antisemitism never used the Z-word, Zionism, and only mentioned Israel once. That’s like denouncing Southern racism without defining it as an obsessive bigotry against blacks.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's June 1 speech, a 2600-word address on antisemitism, exemplifies this selective approach. The speech never used the term "Zionism" and mentioned Israel only once. This is akin to denouncing Southern racism without defining it as an obsessive bigotry against Black people. Linking anti-Zionism with antisemitism is not a Jewish delusion; it is a stance deeply embedded in the Palestinian national movement's ideology. Palestinians and their supporters often equate "Death to the Jews" with targeting Jewish schools, synagogues, and individuals.

“

Linking anti-Zionism with antisemitism is not some Jewish delusion; it’s a conscious stance wired deeply into the Palestinian national movement’s DNA. Palestinians and their enablers yell “Death to the Jews” and target Jewish schools, synagogues and individuals when they’re