Jewish deli set on fire in Toronto by anti-Israel arsonists, mayor says antisemitism 'not welcome here'

Toronto mayor Olivia Chow has condemned the actions of suspected anti-Israel agitators who vandalized International Delicatessen Foods, a Jewish-owned deli in North York, early Wednesday morning. Chow made it clear that antisemitism is "not welcome" in the city, and slammed the perpetrators for making residents feel unsafe.

The incident comes after weeks of anti-Israel demonstrations across Toronto, many of which involved people carrying signs and chanting explicitly antisemitic slogans.

"Incidents like these leave people feeling shaken," she wrote in a statement posted to X. "They diminish our sense of safety and belonging. All residents of Toronto deserve to be safe and feel safe."

"As Mayor," she continued, "let me be clear: acts of antisemitism, hate and violence are not welcome here."

Chow noted that her office was in contact with the Toronto Police Service and urged anyone with information about the incident to contact them.

According to the TPS, officers and members of Toronto Fire Services were called to the deli on Steeles Avenue and Petrolia Road at around 6 am Wednesday morning following reports of a fire inside.

Upon arrival, crews worked to extinguish the blaze, and managed to save the structure. When the smoke cleared, officers assessed the damage. Aside from the destruction caused by the fire, one of the front windows had been broken, and "Free Palestine" was scrawled in black spray paint across the entrance.

The attack is being investigated as a hate-motivated incident.
 

"This is not graffiti on a bus shelter," TPS spokesperson Staff Sgt. Pauline Gray said, per the CBC. "This is not lawful protest protected by constitutional right. This is a criminal act. It is violent, it is targeted, it is organized, and it will receive the weight of the Toronto Police Service to exactly what it deserves."

"We're very early on in the investigation," she added, "and I must highlight when I say it's organized, they didn't just happen upon this business. Let's be not silly here. These people have targeted this business and so that means they've been here before."

The deli's front entrance is adorned with large letters spelling out IDF, an initialism for the store's name, as well as the Israeli Defense Forces, though the two are obviously not related.