Police Investigating Suspected Arson Attempt at Montreal Kosher Bakery

Police in Montreal, Canada, are investigating a suspected arson attempt at a kosher bakery early Monday morning.

Firefighters were dispatched the bakery on Saint-Louis Street in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough after an alarm system sounded.

A broken window and what was described as a “source of heat” were found at the scene.

The Montreal police arson unit is investigating the incident.

“There was minor damage caused to the bakery, only a window at this point that was broken,” Jean-Pierre Brabant, a Montreal police spokesperson, said.

B’nai Brith Canada tweeted, “We are appalled to see Montreal Kosher Bakery, an important business in our community, become the latest victim of a potential hate crime. We will continue to stay in touch with the police on this matter & encourage everyone to stay vigilant.”

We are appalled to see Montreal Kosher Bakery, an important business in our community, become the latest victim of a potential hate crime. We will continue to stay in touch with the police on this matter & encourage everyone to stay vigilant. https://t.co/p21NUYLHpt

— B’nai Brith Canada (@bnaibrithcanada) June 28, 2021

A similar incident occurred two weeks ago at the nearby Chez Benny kosher restaurant.

Police are looking into a potential link between the two incidents.

No motive has been determined yet by police in either case.

An annual B’nai Brith Canada audit published in April found there were more than seven antisemitic incidents per day in Canada last year.

There were a total of 2,610 incidents in 2020 — a record-high for a fifth straight year.

This trend was only exacerbated by the surge of antisemitism that accompanied last month’s Israel-Gaza flare-up, with incidents of physical assault, vandalism, and hate speech against Jews taking place across Canada.

Earlier this month, the Canadian government announced it would convene an emergency summit on antisemitism.