Toronto police launch hate crime probe into van playing Islamophobic video

Toronto police are conducting a hate crime probe into an advertising van driving around Canada's largest city playing an “Islamophobic” video, news outlets reported Wednesday.

A video posted on social media shows a cube van playing a video that questions “Is this Yemen? Is this Syria? Is this Iraq?” It then displays Muslims at prayer accompanied by a text that says: “Wake up Canada. You are under siege.”

The outside of the van has “Is this Lebanon?” written on the vehicle's back and side.

“This is extremely dangerous messaging and should not be condoned,” the National Council of Canadian Muslims posted on X. “We have seen Islamophobic hate kill in Canada, including in Ontario.”

Amira Elghawaby, Canada's special representative on combatting Islamophobia, told CTV News that the incident has engendered fear in the Muslim community, given the history of past violence.

“We have really been on edge when it comes to hate targeting our communities, and this is just one more example of why people are really worried,” she said. “We do not want to see another Quebec Mosque massacre or a London family attack.”

In January 2017, a man gunned down six Muslims and wounded 19 while they were at prayer in the Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City. On June 6, 2021 in London, Ontario, a driver rammed his pickup truck into a Muslim family of five, killing four of them.

Anti-Muslim and antisemitic hate speech online has increased by 500%, with a dramatic jump since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7 last year, Elghawaby noted.

The Toronto Police Hate Crime Unit posted on X that “we recognize the community's concern” and asked anyone with information on the van to contact them.