Toronto (February 10, 2020) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) has brought evidence to police of a campaign of online antisemitic hate perpetuated by an Ontario man.

Police have launched a hate speech investigation on the basis of FSWC's evidence and are hopeful they will be able to lay charges shortly against the man responsible.

FSWC remains in active communication with law enforcement about the case and continues to advocate for an aggressive and determined investigation that will result in a successful conviction.

In recent years, online expressions of hate towards the Jewish community have increased significantly. FSWC continues to monitor antisemitic cyberhate on a daily  basis and reports to police whenever it finds evidence of hate speech that could be illegal. In Canada, it is illegal to advocate genocide or promote hatred against an identifiable group, but these crimes are difficult to prove and such charges are rarely laid.

FSWC actively advocates for the reinstatement of Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, a provision which allowed complaints about online hate to be heard by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Section 13 was struck down by the Harper government in 2013.