A Toronto man has been charged with public incitement of hatred after police allege he held a “terrorist flag” during a demonstration last weekend.
Police say the 41-year-old man allegedly waved a flag of “an organization listed as a terrorist group by Public Safety Canada” while marching through the city’s downtown on Sunday.
Police have not confirmed what the flag depicted or what group it was associated with.
Speaking at a Toronto Police Services Board meeting Thursday, police Chief Myron Demkiw said he would “not be complicit in providing a platform to both acknowledge or promote the hateful ideology.”
Demkiw called the charge “unprecedented,” noting the “very high threshold” to charge anyone with a hate propaganda offence.
“We’re not putting up with this kind of hateful conduct,” he added at a news conference Thursday. “This type of allegation points to an extremist, hateful perspective that we do not welcome in the city.”
The man is set to appear in court in Toronto on Feb. 23.
Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, vice president GTA of the Centre of Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), said she hopes the public incitement of charge is the “first of many laid” against people “promoting violence” against others in Canada.
“We hope that other police services will take note,” she said.
Anas Sial, the lead of the grassroots organization Action for Palestine, said one person’s alleged display of a terrorist organization’s flag shouldn’t be associated with Palestinian flags. Since police haven’t disclosed what the flag was, he says the organization can’t properly comment on it.
“If they’re not disclosing what it is, I don’t even know what they’re talking about,” said Sial. “There’s no correlation until we have further understanding of what it is and who this individual was,”
According to the force’s website, Toronto police consider a hate crime to be a criminal offence committed against a person or property motivated at least in part by the offender’s bias, prejudice or hate against an identifiable group. If a person is charged and convicted of that offence, a judge will take into consideration hate as an aggravating factor when imposing a sentence.
The chief said Toronto has seen more protests since the start of the Israel-Hamas war than any other city in Canada — 308 so far — and that those demonstrations have escalated recently.
Demonstrations prohibited on highway overpass
Demkiw also announced Thursday that demonstrations on the Avenue Road bridge over Highway 401 will now be prohibited as they pose a threat to public safety and have made many in the surrounding Jewish community feel intimidated.
When asked, the chief did not rule out the possibility of also limiting protests outside Jewish-owned businesses such as restaurants.
Demkiw said people who ignore the ban can expect to be arrested “if necessary” and any activities that take place on the bridge will be investigated “with a criminal lens.”
Kirzner-Roberts said CIJA is thankful to Toronto police and Demkiw for their decision to prohibit protests on Avenue Road bridge.
“These daily incidents from these protesters was, you know, making the Jewish feel community feel unsafe,” said Kirzner-Roberts.
Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, left, is the vice president of the GTA for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. Anas Sial, right, is an organizer with the group Action for Palestine. (Mark Bochsler and Tyler Cheese)
But one group that’s been actively protesting on the highway overpass for weeks says their intention is to raise awareness — not target Jewish Canadians.
Sial, of Action for Palestine, called the prohibition “an infringement of our Charter rights, our freedom of speech, our freedom to protest [and] our free to demonstration,” and says the group plans to take legal action against the police.
The group protested there weeks ago after Sial says a billboard company took down billboards on the violence in Gaza and refunded them.
“We’re trying to express our voice,” said Sial, adding he hopes police reconsider the decision and instead monitor the highway protests when they happen.
Hate crimes down in December from previous month
Demkiw also provided the board with the latest details on the force’s hate crime statistics, saying hate crime calls to Toronto police were down in December.
Demkiw said there were 10 reported hate crimes last month compared to 48 in November. The shift is the first to come after the force raised alarm about the sustained spike in calls starting Oct. 7.
He called the recent figures “good news” but warned antisemitic incidents are still a major concern, representing a majority of all hate crimes in 2023. There were 132 total incidents reported compared to 65 in 2022.
This year, there have been two antisemitic hate crimes reported so far, one of which was a suspected arson attack against a Jewish-owned deli store in North York. To date, the force has also received 145 reports from people using the recently launched hate graffiti web form, police said.
Suspected hate-motivated arson has ‘full attention’ of Toronto police, chief says
Toronto police’s hate crime unit is investigating a fire at a Jewish-owned grocery store on Wednesday that was also spray-painted with the words “Free Palestine.” Police Chief Myron Demkiw told reporters Thursday “no stone would be left unturned” as they look for suspects.
“Let me be clear and unequivocal, our commitment to keeping our city’s Jewish community safe is unwavering,” Demkiw said. “I will say this once again and as many times as necessary: violence and hate will not be tolerated.”
Demkiw and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met on Wednesday to discuss the recent and “alarming” increase in antisemitic incidents and what more can be done to keep Jewish Canadians safe. The meeting came after two Toronto councillors asked the federal government for help fighting antisemitism in Toronto.
“As partners, we’ll continue to do what is necessary to tackle hatred in all its forms,” Trudeau said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The number of reported hate crimes was up 42 per cent in 2023 from the previous year — 353 reports compared with 248, police said. From October to December, the force received an average of 190 hate-related calls, up from the average of 47 for all the months prior in 2023.
Demkiw notes the second highest increase was in reported LGBTQ+ hate crimes, going up from 40 in 2022 to 66 in 2023. There were also 35 reported anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab hate crimes last year compared to 12 the year prior, making it the third highest category.
From Oct. 7, 2023 to Jan. 10, 2024, the force said its arrested 54 people, resulting in 117 hate crime-related charges. The most common were mischief, assault and uttering threats.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.
Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.
Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.
Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.
Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.
The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.
The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.
Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.
After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.
The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”
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