A Jewish school in Montreal was once again the target of gunfire early morning Sunday in what authorities say is the fourth reported hate crime targeting the community in one week.
Police say 911 calls were made around 5 a.m. for gunshots heard near Yeshiva Gedola school in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood. Officers say they found bullet holes and casings at the school on Deacon Road near the Van Horne Avenue intersection when they arrived at the scene.
Witnesses told officers a vehicle was seen leaving the scene after shots were heard.
Montreal police spokesperson Caroline Chevrefils told Global News no one was inside the building at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported.
The investigation has been transferred to the SPVM’s hate crimes unit.
This is the second time Yeshiva Gedola has been the target of gunfire in just a few days. On Thursday police reported overnight gunshots fired at the school and at United Talmud Torah school, also in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges area.
On Tuesday, a Molotov cocktail was thrown into a synagogue in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, also overnight. None of these incidents caused any injuries and no arrests have been made.
Politicians, community groups condemn repeated ‘abhorrent acts of hatred’
In a statement Sunday, Premier François Legault said that his heart was with the Jewish community and that all efforts will be made to “punish the culprits.”
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante called the incidents “abhorrent acts” that Montreal can’t accept. “All Montrealers have the right to feel safe.”
Jewish community group B’nai Brith Canada said it was “deeply disturbed by this repeated act of hatred.”
Michael Mostyn, executive director of B’nai Brith Canada, called the events “mind-boggling.”
“We certainly hope that the Montreal police can get to the bottom of this and ensure the safety of the Jewish community,” he said. “The trend, not only in Montreal, but across Canada, is clear: anti-Semitism is growing rapidly, and is tantamount to an uncontrollable disease. We must all do our part to combat this scourge.”
Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller called the incident “another violent and cowardly act against a Jewish school in Montreal.”
