A newly released report has sounded the alarm over a dramatic escalation in hate incidents across Canada since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023. The study highlights a staggering rise in Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian hate crimes, with some regions reporting increases as high as 1,800 percent.
Titled “Documenting the ‘Palestine Exception’,“ the report was authored by Nadia Hasan from York University’s Islamophobia Research Hub and launched during a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday. It outlines a “sharp and dangerous” increase in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism (APR), and anti-Arab racism (AAR) over the past 21 months.
“Since October 2023, Canada has witnessed an alarming surge in hate and racism that impacts various aspects of daily life for many Canadians,” Hasan stated.
Drawing on interviews with 16 Canadian organisations, public data, and media reports, the findings show that between October 7 and November 20, 2023, Toronto Police Services recorded a 1,600 percent year-over-year spike in Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian hate crimes.
Additional findings include:
- Statistics Canada reported a 94% rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes and a 52% increase in hate crimes against Arabs and West Asians in 2023.
- The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) recorded a 1,300 percent surge in Islamophobia cases within a month of the Gaza war’s onset — rising to 1,800 percent over the year.
- The Muslim Legal Support Centre (MLSC) documented 474 human rights complaints between October 2023 and March 2024, including 345 job-related reprisals against individuals who expressed support for Palestine.
- The Legal Centre for Palestine tracked a 600 percent rise in anti-Palestinian racism over an eight-month period.
Despite the numbers, Hasan emphasised that the report only reflects a “fraction” of what communities are enduring. “It draws from direct interviews, organisational data, public records, and media coverage from October 2023 to November 2024,” she added.
Government Adviser Calls for Urgent Action
Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia, described the findings as a wake-up call.
“We’re seeing people being censored and penalised for defending Palestinian human rights—this is affecting their careers and their futures,” Elghawaby said.
“Old Islamophobic tropes from the post-9/11 era are resurfacing, now amplified by far-right actors to dehumanise Muslim, Arab, and especially Palestinian-Canadian communities.”
Key Recommendations from the Report:
- Formal adoption of a definition for anti-Palestinian racism
- Stronger accountability mechanisms for hate-motivated crimes
- Independent investigations into institutional responses within schools and public bodies
- Development of inclusive, rights-based policies addressing what the report refers to as the “Palestine exception”
Hasan and participating organisations stressed that moving forward requires comprehensive and interdisciplinary policy reform to protect affected communities and uphold Canada’s human rights obligations.
