The Montreal police confirmed with CTV News that two men have been arrested in connection with alleged hate crimes against Hasidic Jews that occurred on July 3. The incidents occurred in Outremont and Le Plateau-Mont-Royal. Montreal police told CTV News that both men are 20 years old. Video surveillance footage posted on the Jewish Hasidic Council of Quebec (CJHQ)’s Facebook page shows some people grabbing the shtreimels, the traditional fur hats worn by Hasidic Jewish men. In a statement posted on the social media platform X, CJHQ says they welcome these arrests. “The events of July 3 deeply disturbed our community,” the statement says. “Members of the Jewish community were harassed, intimidated, assaulted, spat at, had objects thrown at them, and had their religious garments stolen while walking home from synagogue after Shabbat services. Such acts have no place in Montreal, in Quebec, or elsewhere.” They say these incidents reflect a “deeply troubling” trend in antisemitism.
