By Joseph Marshall
A Jewish family says they were subjected to anti Jewish abuse while spending the evening at Montreal’s Parc La Fontaine after confronting a woman whose dogs were inside a children’s splash pad, prompting a police investigation into what could become the latest hate motivated incident targeting the city’s Jewish community.
The incident occurred Sunday evening at approximately 6:45 p.m. The family was at the park with relatives when the father approached a woman whose two dogs were inside the children’s water play area, advising her that dogs are not permitted in the splash pad.
According to the family’s account, the woman responded in French, “Les Juifs n’ont pas le droit d’être ici,” meaning, “Jews are not allowed here.” The exchange was captured on video.
The family says the woman later returned and continued confronting them, allegedly asking the father where his neighbourhood was and telling him he did not belong there.
She also allegedly insulted the family’s children, saying they were not “normal” because they attended a Jewish school.
The father called the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal and remained at the park for more than an hour waiting for officers before eventually leaving with his family. A police report was subsequently filed.
Video of the incident was shared on social media by Mayer Feig, president of the Quebec Council of Hasidic Jews, bringing the incident to the attention of Montreal’s Jewish community.
As of Tuesday night, Montreal police had not issued a public statement on the incident, nor had they confirmed whether the investigation has been assigned to the department’s hate crimes unit. No arrests have been announced.
The confrontation comes amid continuing concerns over anti Jewish incidents in Montreal. Over the past several months, Jewish schools, synagogues, businesses and visibly Jewish residents have been targeted in a series of attacks and acts of harassment that have left many in the community questioning their safety.
MJN has contacted the SPVM for comment and will update this story as more information becomes available.
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