Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke today during an International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa, where he spoke about a resurgence of hate speech and the responsibility of society, and especially its leaders, to reject such speech.
We wonder how these people could reach that level of cruelty. Hate never arises suddenly, it grows little by little, inch by inch. Lately we have seen a return of hate speech and anti-Semitism emerging from dark corners of our society. Canadians watched in horror as Nazi flags arrived in Ottawa last year. Hate is being amplified, online and on other platforms. So we cannot be complacent, all Canadians, and especially their leaders must rise up and stand up to it, with force.
Beyond high-profile figures using social media to propagate such speech, some believe anti-Semitism is becoming more widespread in society.
Earlier this month, Ottawa police charged two high school students with public incitement to hatred, criminal harassment and mischief following an incident in which they were accused of displaying a hate symbol and using anti-Semitic language.
The Ontario government recently mandated Holocaust education starting in Grade 6 to help younger students gain a deeper understanding of the importance of the Holocaust and that it will never happen again.