Toronto’s Jewish community is in an uproar following antisemitic remarks attributed to a lecturer at academic institutions in Ontario, who spoke this week at an anti-Israel rally in the Bathurst and Sheppard area, in the heart of the city’s Jewish community.
According to a report by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, based on video footage posted online, the speaker was identified as Abbas Hamze. During the speech, he attributed serious antisemitic claims to Zionists and Jews, including accusations that they engage in “black magic” and “have raped and killed and ate children.”
Abbas Hamze spoke during anti-Israel rally and attributed serious antisemitic claims to Zionists and Jews
(Photo: From the X platform)
The report said Hamze also attacked the very existence of the State of Israel, calling it a “false Zionist state” established by “British colonialists.” In addition, according to the report, he claimed that Jews had been expelled from many countries because of their “deeds” and “black magic” — claims described as modern iterations of age-old antisemitic stereotypes.
The remarks drew sharp criticism from Jewish organizations in Canada. Richard Robertson, director of research at B’nai Brith Canada, said that when classic antisemitic stereotypes, including claims that Jews use “black magic” and eat children, are broadcast publicly through a megaphone, it amounts to what he described as the “deliberate promotion and public incitement of hatred.” He called on Toronto police to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.
Abbas Hamze is a lecturer at Ontario-area Jewish institutions
(Photo: From the X platform)
Israel’s consul general in Toronto, Idit Shamir, also addressed the incident on her X account. Shamir wrote that at the corner of Bathurst and Sheppard, which she described as “the heart of the city’s Jewish community,” a man with a megaphone told the crowd that Jews engage in “black magic” and rape, kill and eat children.
Shamir said the remarks amounted to “blood libels” — antisemitic myths spread in Europe beginning in the Middle Ages and used throughout history to justify persecution and violence against Jews. She added that the demonstrations in the area are held every Sunday, including near synagogues, schools and Jewish retirement homes, and that three national Jewish organizations in Canada have formally called for action in response to the phenomenon.