October 10, 2025
TORONTO – An Ontario court has handed down a 12-month prison sentence to a Toronto man who incited hate against Jews in public during a vigil last year at Nathan Philips Square.
“We commend the Court for making clear that there is a difference between free speech and hate speech, and for demonstrating that those who target our community, or any Canadian community, will be held accountable under our country’s laws,” said Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Research and Advocacy.
Razaali Bahadur, 45, was convicted this past June of inciting hatred, which included outrageous statements delivered through a megaphone at a crowd that included Jewish children. These outbursts included blood libel, such as that Jews enjoy killing children and are, as a collective, responsible for killing Jesus Christ.
During Bahadur’s sentencing, B’nai Brith Canada delivered an impact statement to the Court reflecting the fear and anguish many Jewish Canadians have felt as antisemitism has spiraled to unprecedented depths in this country.