According to Ron East writing for ‘The J.CA’ there has been yet another ‘anti-Semitic hate crime’ in Canada; this time in New Westminster in British Columbia which is functionally a suburb of Vancouver for those who don’t know or are geographically challenged.
He writes how:
‘New Westminster police are investigating after swastikas were drawn on multiple vehicles in the city over several days, an act community leaders called an unmistakable attack on Jewish safety and a troubling sign of rising antisemitic intimidation across Canada.
The New Westminster Police Department said the first incident is believed to have occurred overnight on Oct. 3. A motorist discovered a swastika on his parked vehicle the next morning near Nanaimo Street and 12th Street. While officers were investigating that report, they discovered at least one other car in the area had been similarly defaced. A further report was received on Oct. 6 of an additional vehicle vandalized in the same neighbourhood.
Officers have canvassed the area for security camera footage and other evidence, but have not yet identified a suspect. The police public information release said the matter has been referred to the Provincial Hate Crime Unit for further investigation. The department asked anyone with information or dash camera footage from the area between Oct. 3 and Oct. 6 to contact investigators.
Seeing Nazi symbols in a community setting is deeply disturbing, Sergeant Andrew Leaver of the New Westminster Police Department said in the police statement. “This kind of vandalism has no place in New Westminster. We take these incidents seriously and are working to find whoever is responsible,” he said.
Jewish and pro-Israel community leaders responded with alarm. They described the vandalism as part of a broader pattern of intimidation that has targeted Jewish Canadians since the outbreak of hostilities last year. Advocates said that even when incidents do not result in physical injury, symbols of hate have a profound psychological effect and degrade the sense of security for Jews and supporters of Israel.
“Swastikas are a direct attack on Jewish people and on the memory of those murdered by the Nazis,” said a representative of a local Jewish advocacy group. “When these symbols appear in public spaces, it sends a clear message of threat. Municipal leaders and police must pursue these incidents vigorously, and institutions must adopt zero tolerance for intimidation linked to Jew-hatred.”
The referral to the Provincial Hate Crime Unit reflects the severity with which law enforcement treats hate-motivated vandalism. Hate crime investigators have specialized resources and protocols to examine motive and to determine whether offences should be prosecuted as hate crimes under the Criminal Code. Community advocates urged the Crown and police to be forthright in treating these acts as bias-motivated offences when evidence supports it.
The incidents in New Westminster come amid heightened anxiety within Jewish communities nationally. Organizations that track antisemitism have reported increased incidents on campuses, online, and in public spaces. Community leaders said authorities must move beyond statements of condemnation to measurable action, including rapid investigations, public reporting, and preventative measures such as improved lighting, surveillance partnerships, and outreach to neighbourhoods where Jewish families and businesses live and work.’ (1)
Now the problem with this narrative is the obvious one: were the ‘victims’ of this bout of swastika graffiti actually jewish?
The problem you see is – as B’nai Brith Canada explains – that:
‘Today New Westminster retains much of its historic charm. It’s population has grown from 33000 in 1961 to just under 79,000 today. The city is multicultural as well. Almost 40% today identify as visible minorities with large Chinese, South Asian and Filipino populations.
The Jewish community is far smaller. There are no synagogues or Jewish centres currently within the city. Nearby Jewish institutions can be accessed in nearby Burnaby or Coquitlam.’ (2)
Put another way: New Westminster has practically no jewish population whatsoever given that it cannot even support a single synagogue or community centre. Although inexplicably – one of those odd ‘coincidences’ again – the mayor of New Westminster Jonathan Cote has implemented an annual ‘Jewish Heritage Month’ celebrating ‘the contribution to New Westminster’ of its non-existent jewish population since 2022. (3)
So, one is forced to wonder: who were the swastikas targeted at?
There aren’t very many jews in New Westminster and no indication that there was anything about these particular cars that suggested they were owned by jews and/or supportive of Israel; so, if this is accurate then what on earth do this swastika graffiti/vandalism have to do with jews as it apparently doesn’t effect nor target them other than the fact that it is a swastika.
So why are jews shrieking about it unless they themselves did it; perhaps to ‘raise awareness about rising anti-Semitism’ as the old ‘jew caught faking anti-Semitic hate crimes’ excuse goes?
Answers on a postcard please!
References
(1) https://thej.ca/2025/10/11/swastikas-drawn-on-vehicles-in-new-westminster-prompt-hate-crime-probe/
(2) https://www.bnaibrith.ca/advocacy/jewish-heritage-month/jhm-new-westminster/
(3) Idem.
Karl’s SubstackRead More
T1
