A public uproar erupted in Canada in the wake of an antisemitic and inciteful display at a pro-terror anti-Israel protest on Sunday in the heart of Montreal.

During the protest held in Phillips Square, pro-terror activists set up an installation featuring an effigy of a Jew wearing a yarmulke hanging from a rope, alongside effigies of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir hanging from ropes.

The event, organized by the pro-Hamas Montreal4Palestine group, triggered strong condemnations from leaders in the Jewish community, who warned that it amounted to direct incitement to murder, violence, and hatred.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), the umbrella organization of Jewish federations in Canada, stated: “Let us be clear: this is not a debate about the Middle East. Hanging effigies of Jews in the streets of Montreal evokes some of the darkest antisemitic imagery in history and is completely unacceptable.”

“This is not ‘peaceful activism.’ It is the promotion of hatred and the incitement of violence that fuels the radicalization of our social climate.”

“What will it take for authorities to treat these acts as the serious threat they are?”

Montreal4Palestine has been accused of ties to groups praising Hamas terrorists, promoting armed struggle, and refusing to condemn the October 7 massacre.

The display comes amid an unprecedented rise in antisemitism in Canada. According to the annual report by B’nai Brith Canada, the number of antisemitic incidents in the country has reached a historic record, with 6,800 antisemitic incidents recorded in 2025, an increase of nearly ten percent compared to 2024 and the highest figure since documentation began in 1982.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)