187 alleged hate crimes reported in Toronto in 2024, almost half antisemitic: police

FILE - A Toronto Police Service logo patch is shown in Toronto, on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Toronto police say there have been close to 190 alleged hate crimes reported so far this year, nearly half of them antisemitic.

The update was provided at a meeting of the Toronto Police Service Board, where the force also presented hate crime statistics for 2023.

The report presented today says there was a 47 per cent increase in reported hate crimes last year compared with 2022.

It says there were 365 reported incidents in 2023, and 59 people were charged in relation to 61 incidents.

The document says more than a third of the incidents that led to charges took place after the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

It says the Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities were the most frequently victimized, followed by the Black and Muslim communities.

The report says mischief to property, assault and uttering threats were the most commonly reported hate crimes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2024.