Police investigate antisemitic posters found around Ottawa

Police are investigating eight incidents where posters with hateful and antisemitic messages were foundin public places around Ottawa.

The posters have been seen in neighbourhoods like Kanata, Barrhaven and most recently at a skatepark nearCentrepointe Drive on Sunday, according to Andrea Freedman, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.

"It's very unsettling to see these kinds of posters in the city that we live in, that we love, in our nation's capital," Freedman said.

She says she is "comforted" police are investigating the posters as a hate crime, saying the Ottawa policehate and bias crime unit is a model for the rest of the country because of how seriously they investigate such incidents.

Anecdotal rise in antisemitic hate crimes

Both Ottawa police and Freedman say anecdotally there has been an increase in antisemitic incidents in the past year.

"These posters are one of the first examples that I've seen, of people taking from the darkest corners of the internet hateful lies about the Jewish people and putting them in public places in Ottawa," Freedman said.

Freedman says the organization works to educate its members on how to report incidents of hate and gives guidance in itspress release for anyone who spots a similar poster.

"Do not take the signs down yourself. Please photograph them, noting the time and location, then contact the police. Police will remove the signs themselves since they are evidence," the press release reads.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa police hate crime unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5015.