Anti-Semitism in Canada on the rise

Anti-Semitic incidents in Canada rose by 50 per cent in 2004, a survey has found. B’nai Brith Canada’s annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents for 2004, released on Tuesday, states that there were 857 incidents across Canada last year:  the highest in the audit’s 22-year history. Only 13 criminal charges were filed in connection with the incidents and only one prison sentence has been handed out so far, said Harold Davis, the group’s president. Davis said the criminal code and legal system have been far too lax in dealing with hate crimes. “Even when complaints are laid, investigations are often protracted, inconclusive and lack the type of closure that would send a strong message to Canadians that anti-Semitism is not acceptable in this country”, he said.