Jerusalem Post/Diaspora/AntisemitismThe posters allegedly displayed or distributed at a March 15 protest by the suspects included a Jewish man with the body of an insect, and caricatures of Jews and Israelis.Follow us on GooglePROTESTERS MARCH at a rally marking Al-Quds Day and opposing the war on Iran and Lebanon in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, March 14, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/Laura Proctor )ByMICHAEL STARRJUNE 2, 2026 19:29Five people were arrested and charged on Sunday with promotion and incitement of hatred for displaying or distributing antisemitic signs at a March protest in a Toronto Jewish neighborhood, the Toronto Police Service announced on Monday, almost a month after another man had been arrested for his involvement in the same incident.Hosaam Hemdan, Omer Turcan, Syed Hussaini, Hasan Aydin, and Yasaf Shaikh were charged with willful promotion of hatred and public incitement of hatred, with another charge for wearing a disguise with intent to commit a crime leveled against the first three men.According to the Canadian Jewish News, the posters allegedly displayed or distributed at a March 15 protest by the suspects included a Jewish man with the body of an insect, and caricatures of Jews and Israelis.“We will continue to be relentless in following the evidence to hold those who commit criminal acts of hate accountable,” TPS Chief Myron Demkiw said in a press briefing. “Today is an example of what we mean when we say that arrests and charges can come at any time after an incident. Hate has real impacts. Antisemitic behavior creates fear, anxiety, and division in our communities. Through the tireless work of our Counter Terrorism and Security Unit, we investigate thoroughly, gather evidence carefully, and pursue charges where there are reasonable grounds and legal authority to do so.”On April 2, 33-year-old Toronto resident Muhammad Anas Sial had been arrested and charged with public incitement of hatred for bringing the signs to the demonstration and shouting "inappropriate comments" toward pro-Israel activists, according to police. Sial had later been charged with an additional count of willful promotion of hatred on May 20 after consent was given by the Attorney General's Office.Toronto Police. (ilustration) (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)Thirty hate propaganda charges since October 7TPS Chief Myron Demkiw explained in a press briefing that the charge was rarely used due to its complexity and the requirement for the Attorney General's agreement.“To give you some context, since October 7, 2023, we have laid 30 hate propaganda charges, including 11 Willful Promotion of Hatred charges with the consent of the Attorney General,” he said. “And these cases involved a total of 20 different accused. In the 10-plus year period from 2010 to 2023, we had only laid six propaganda charges, including four charges of Willful Promotion of Hatred. These cases involved a total of five accused.”The announcement of the charges came just hours before Prime Minister Mark Carney's own press briefing about antisemitism, at the Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. Carney admitted that Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” and announced the creation of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion. The prime minister said that the group's first task would be to assess the nature of antisemitism in Canada, develop a national strategy, and improve data collection on the phenomenon.Follow us on Google