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Montreal police said they will increase their vigilance and visibility in areas where Jewish neighborhoods celebrate until the end of Hanukkah following a mass shooting in Australia.
Fifteen people were killed and at least 38 were injured in an attack by two militants A Hanukkah event on Sydney's Bondi Beach was attacked on Sunday. Australian authorities said it was Terrorist attack against the Jewish community.
After the deadly attack, Montreal police said in a written statement that they wanted to “reassure the people of Montreal.”
“We are in direct contact with leaders of the Montreal Jewish community and are listening to their concerns,” the publication wrote. Montreal City Police Department (SPVM).
“We are currently reviewing our position on the ground… The SPVM is committed to ensuring the safety of all communities.”
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada also issued a statement on Channel X, saying that “the attack on the Jewish community in Australia breaks my heart.”
“A day of great celebration and love turned into an act of violence and anti-Semitism,” she wrote. “I have spoken with the head of the SPVM, Fadi Dagher, to ensure that our police officers increase their level of vigilance in the Jewish communities of Montreal.”
Quebec Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, a former special adviser on Jewish community relations and anti-Semitism in the Trudeau government, spoke to CBC News Network after the attack.
He said hate laws needed to be amended and more money allocated to security as anti-Semitic attacks rose.
“Virtually every Jewish Canadian feels distraught today, and I hope all Canadians feel distraught today in solidarity with our Jewish communities and the people of Australia,” Housefather said.'
He added that every Canadian should attend the Hanukkah event “because Jews should not be deterred from publicly practicing their religion in this country.”
In a statement, the city of Cote-Saint-Luc, home to a large Jewish community on the island of Montreal, said it mourned the victims and their families.
“If people of all faiths, peace-loving Canadians, cannot safely hold public events, then something fundamental has been lost in our free societies,” the city wrote, adding that it will do “everything in its power” to ensure the safety of its residents and public institutions.
