Man faces rare charge of advocating genocide against Jewish community, Toronto police say

Ethan Lang · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 6:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

A Toronto antheral is facing the uncommon complaint of advocating genocide, successful summation to much than 2 twelve different offences allegedly motivated by hatred toward the Jewish community, constabulary say.

Amir Arvahi Azar, 32, was arrested connected Jan. 11 for incidents that took spot betwixt April 26, 2024 and Jan. 3, 2025, Toronto constabulary said successful a quality merchandise Monday. Police said they are incapable to supply further details astir the alleged crimes owed to a work ban.

Azar faces 29 charges, including wilful promotion of hatred, which unneurotic with advocating genocide, requires the consent of the Ministry of the Attorney General.

The charges person not been tested successful court.

Hate transgression adept Barbara Perry says instrumentality enforcement has an incredibly precocious barroom to wide erstwhile deciding whether to laic specified charges.

"These charges thin to beryllium reserved for the astir serious, the astir threatening benignant of crimes," said Perry, who is manager for the centre connected hate, bias and extremism astatine Ontario Tech University.

"There are a full array of factors that [law enforcement is] going to beryllium looking astatine here," she said.

"Is helium truly encouraging and inciting hatred towards others? Is helium trying to foment hatred and hostility towards, successful this case, the Jewish community? How blatant is that language? What's the context? Where is it occurring? Is it online? Is it offline."

WATCH | A look astatine Toronto police's strategy against rise successful hatred crimes: 

History shows it's hard to beryllium those charges successful court, Perry said.

From 2010 to 2020, 305 charges for hate-crime-related offences were processed successful Canadian courts, according to an interior survey by the national government, of which wilful promotion of hatred made up 85 per cent and advocating genocide made up lone six per cent. Of the 81 hatred transgression cases completed that decade, lone 43 per cent ended with a uncovering of guilt, the survey found.

Accused besides charged with arson, different offences

Azar's charges besides see arson, nationalist incitement of hatred, transgression harassment, mischief to taste spot and aggregate weapons offences.

Deputy Chief Rob Johnson said the charges were the effect of a months-long probe led by the centralized hatred crimes unit.

"We cognize that these charges are precise superior and that radical are concerned," Johnson said successful a video statement. "I privation to guarantee everyone that we volition proceed to bash everything we tin to support our communities safe."

Azar was released pursuing a bail proceeding Monday, constabulary said, with respective conditions imposed, including location apprehension with an ankle monitor.

He is owed backmost successful tribunal connected April 28, a spokesperson for the Ontario Court of Justice said successful an email.

Michelle Stock, vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs successful Ontario, says her enactment volition show the lawsuit closely.

"We are encouraged to spot instrumentality enforcement and Crown prosecutors upholding the regularisation of instrumentality and taking enactment to clasp individuals accountable for alleged hate-motivated crimes," she said successful an emailed statement.

"In a clip of rising antisemitism and hate, it is indispensable that authorities show zero tolerance for those who transverse the enactment into transgression conduct."