Toronto police’s hate crimes unit is investigating after a video surfaced online showing a mobile advertising truck displaying extremely hateful anti-Muslim digital images and messages.
According to a CBC report, the truck’s digital display poses a series of questions: “Is this Lebanon? Is this Yemen? Is this Syria? Is this Iraq?” It then declares, “No. This is Canada. Wake up Canada. You are under siege.” The truck also shows images of Muslims praying and protesting in Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, with visible Palestinian flags and the square’s concrete arches. The lettering, in blue on a white background, is clearly visible from several meters away.
Police are urging the public to come forward with any information or video footage of the truck. “We recognize the community’s concern about a truck displaying Islamophobic messaging in Toronto,” the police stated on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, expressed her surprise and disappointment regarding the truck’s messages. She believes the content should be widely condemned, stating, “This type of messaging sends a message of division and hate. Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, and anti-Arab racism are not new phenomena. The forms they take can vary, but what is most alarming is when they lead to violence.”
In a post on X, Elghawaby mentioned speaking with Toronto police’s Muslim liaison officers after receiving numerous reports from residents expressing “deep concern, fear, and anxiety” about the truck. “This clear incitement to hate Muslims is deeply worrisome given the ongoing violence that our communities continue to experience, including recent arson in London, Ontario, and physical assaults of visibly Muslim women in Scarborough, Halifax, Ottawa, and elsewhere,” Elghawaby stated. “We do not want to see another Quebec mosque massacre or Our London Family attack. We have already lost too many community members to deadly Islamophobic hate.”
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a non-profit organization advocating for Muslim civic engagement, described the truck’s messaging as designed to incite fear of Muslims in Canada. “This is extremely dangerous messaging and should not be condoned. We have seen Islamophobic hate kill in Canada, including in Ontario,” the NCCM said on X. “This public campaign is pure Islamophobia and hate. We expect all our leaders to condemn this form of hate in Toronto. This needs to stop now.”
The City of Toronto, in a statement on Wednesday, declared its opposition to all forms of hate. “The City of Toronto will not tolerate, ignore, or condone discrimination or harassment and is committed to promoting respectful conduct, tolerance, and inclusion,” the statement reads. The city remains committed to combating all forms of discrimination and racism. Last summer, Toronto’s public education campaign, Toronto For All, focused on raising awareness about Islamophobia and providing resources on how to be an ally. The city encourages residents to report any “hate graffiti” to 311.
