The destruction of a bookstore in Toronto during a pro-Hamas demonstration must not be excused.
Shortly after returning home from Israel, I attended a pro-Hamas demonstration in Toronto, Canada, as a counterdemonstrator. But this was no ordinary pro-Hamas rally. Its participants billed themselves as “Jews Against Genocide.” It was held outside of Indigo, a big-box bookstore in Toronto that is owned by Heather Reisman, a wealthy Jewish businesswoman and philanthropist. Ironically, her store is known for promoting progressive books. But in the eyes of the demonstrators, this fact was irrelevant because she had committed an unforgivable sin: She was known for supporting charities in Israel. During an earlier demonstration in front of this bookstore, one of the attendees, a professor at York University, had vandalized the exterior of the building. Afterward, she had been arrested and charged with vandalism, and added to this was the charge that the crime was motivated by hate. In Canadian criminal law, any crime that is deemed to have been motivated by hate can lead to a stiffer sentence. This demonstration was clearly organized at least in part to protect her.
