'Not acceptable': Chow condemns arson at Jewish-owned Toronto deli as hate-motivated fire investigation continues

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is calling for peace after a Jewish-owned North York deli was set on fire in what police are describing as “a tipping point” in a series of recent antisemitic acts across the city.

“I know people’s feelings are very intense these days, but targeting businesses, Jewish stores, is just not acceptable,” Chow told CP24 Thursday morning of the suspected hate-motivated incident.

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“There needs to be a very clear message that the right to protest, it's your constitutional right…but being hateful, inciting [violence], targeting people because of their religion, because of their race, ethnicity, or where they come from, skin colour, is just not who we are in Toronto.”

Emergency crews were called to International Delicatessen Foods (IDF), located near Steeles Avenue and Keele Street, early Wednesday morning for reports of a fire.

The fire was extinguished and no injuries were reported. The words “Free Palestine” were seen spray-painted on the outside of the building.

“This is not graffiti on a bus shelter. This is not a lawful protest protected by constitutional right. This is a criminal act. It is violent. It is targeted. It is organized,” Staff Supt. Pauline Gray told reporters at the scene Wednesday night.

International Delicatessen Foods is seen in this image on Jan. 3, 2024. Police are investigating the arson at the Jewish-owned business as a suspected hate crime.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw addressed the arson at an unrelated news conference on Thursday and reiterated that “no stone will be left unturned” in the ongoing investigation led by the service’s hate-crime unit.

“Make no mistake. It was a criminal act that was organized and has inflicted great harm in our communities and in my view was hate-motivated,” he said.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw addresses an arson at a Jewish-owned deli in North York on Jan. 3 which is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

According to Toronto police, there have been nearly 100 hate crimes reported in the city since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, triggered by a surprise attack on Oct. 7 which left 1,200 Israelis dead.

At least 56 of those 98 incidents were classified by police as antisemitic, up from 18 during the same time period last year.

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protests in Toronto have continued in the last three months as the death toll in Gaza climbs above 22,000.

• 'Hatred will have no space in our city': Nearly 100 hate crimes reported to Toronto police since onset of Israel-Hamas war

Many of those protests have unfolded along University Avenue and along other major corridors. But there have been instances where some protesters have gathered outside Jewish-owned businesses or in predominantly Jewish neighbourhoods.

It’s those targeted protests that Chow said need to stop, underscoring that there is a “fine line” between freedom of speech and hate.

“I urge people: go to Nathan Phillips Square or the Israel government consulate, whichever consulate, those are public spaces,” she said. “Whereas if you come in front of my house or in spaces that are private space, in front of a synagogue, in front of a mosque… then you are saying that you're targeting people because of their religion, and where they came from. That is not acceptable.”

No suspect descriptions have been released in connection with Wednesday’s arson.

Police are asking anyone who may have information about the incident to contact them at 416-808-3100 or Crime Stoppers. 

International Delicatessen Foods is seen in this image on Jan. 3, 2024. Police are investigating the arson at the Jewish-owned business as a suspected hate crime.