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This week, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) held its second annual Building a Case Against Hate conference, hosted virtually this year in conjunction with the Ontario Police College. Over 900 police officers - from the RCMP, the military and provincial and municipal services - were in attendance Tuesday and Wednesday to hear from law enforcement leaders and other experts from both Canada and the US, who shared their insights into hate-motivated crimes and extremism and tools to better investigate and handle such cases.

The conference featured:

Inspector Graham Gibson, the lead investigator of the 2018 Toronto van attack, who delved into the case and lessons learned.

Crown Counsel Erica Whitford, prosecutor of the Your Ward News hate speech case, who spoke about the challenges in prosecuting the case and the factors that played a role in a successful conviction.

Kristen Little, a member of the RCMP Ideologically Motivated Criminal Intelligence Team, who discussed hate crime and extremism trends during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lauren Knapp from the Charleston County’s Department of Public Safety who discussed the case involving Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof.

Two investigator panels featuring officers from hate crime units and other departments in police services from across Canada.

Thank you to all of our speakers as well as all law enforcement personnel who were in attendance for this important conference.

Data shows hate-motivated incidents are on the rise in Canada. FSWC is committed to confronting this issue by educating and empowering police and working with them to ensure they are prepared to investigate and combat hate and extremism, keeping our communities safe and secure.

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