Canada sees surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes since start of Gaza war

Canada has seen a dramatic surge in hate crimes targeting Muslim and Palestinian communities since the start of the Gaza war on 7 October 2023, a new report released Wednesday revealed, with the number of incidents rising by as much as 1,800 percent in some areas.

Documenting the Palestine Exception, a report led by York University's Islamophobia Research Hub, outlines a wave of Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian backlash amid Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza, from spikes in hate-motivated attacks to widespread media biases, and the suppression of pro-Palestine voices.

Drawing on data from the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the report documents a 1,300 percent increase in Islamophobia-related incidents in the month after 7 October, and a staggering 1,800 percent rise over the following year.

The Legal Centre for Palestine (LCPal) reported a 600 percent rise in the number of cases of anti-Palestinian racism during the first eight months of the war.

Between 7 October and 20 November 2023, Toronto Police recorded a 1,600 percent year-on-year increase in hate crimes motivated by anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic bias.

But researchers warn that the actual number is likely much higher, citing Statistics Canada figures showing that only one in five hate crime victims report incidents to police.

Online hate has also spiked. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) recorded a 422 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate speech on the social media platform X between 7 and 29 October 2023.

The report also raises concerns over a crackdown on civil liberties and democratic rights, particularly targeting individuals expressing support for Palestine. It documents censorship, disciplinary actions, and punitive measures taken against those voicing pro-Palestine views.

According to the Muslim Legal Support Centre (MLSC), 474 human rights complaints were filed between 7 October 2023 and 5 March 2024. Of these, 345 people reported being fired or placed on forced leave due to their support for Palestine.

The New Arab reported this week that Toronto police launched Project Resolute in the wake of Israel’s war on Gaza. The operation, with a reported $19.5 million budget, has faced criticism for enabling a broader clampdown on Palestine solidarity activism.

An investigation by Canadian outlet The Breach alleged that a secretive committee within Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General has given “politically motivated” backing to police actions against pro-Palestine demonstrators, including efforts to impose harsher charges and to block the dismissal of cases.

Reports of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian violence have also gone viral on social media. In one case last month, The Globe and Mail reported that a Muslim woman had her hijab forcibly removed during a swarming attack at a pizza shop in Oshawa, Ontario. Police are investigating it as a possible hate crime.

Other visibly Muslim individuals have been attacked at rallies. At a 2024 protest for Gaza in Ottawa, The Globe and Mail reported that a visiting Swiss man punched a 21-year-old hijab-wearing woman after declaring himself "racist and proud." He pleaded guilty and is due to be sentenced in November.

Just weeks earlier, another Muslim woman was reportedly assaulted at a pro-Palestine protest at Ottawa City Hall, where her hijab was pulled off. Charges were initially filed but later dropped.

The Canadian organisation Anti-Racism Program of the CJPME Foundation (ARPCF) welcomed the report's findings. Lead researcher Jamila Ewais said Palestinians in Canada are routinely "silenced and slandered" for asserting their rights, and that anti-racism efforts must address the deeper systemic and historical context.

"Effective anti-racism must confront these systemic roots and historical forces," she said, "rejecting superficial reactions in favour of addressing underlying power structures and settler-colonial narratives that sustain oppression."

The ARPCF is now calling on the Canadian government to urgently recognise anti-Palestinian racism as a distinct, systemic harm and to incorporate it into federal anti-racism frameworks.

"This inclusion is critical to closing gaps in existing policies," the group said, "and to ensuring the protection of Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and allied communities who face increasing hostility and marginalisation."