Montreal police have arrested a 19-year-old suspect in connection with the brazen shooting attack on Yeshiva Gedola of Montreal in November 2023—but rather than addressing the clear antisemitic nature of the crime, authorities are framing it as just another case of “gun violence.”

The attack, which took place in the early hours of November 12, 2023, saw gunmen fire at the Jewish school, leaving bullet holes in its facade and shell casings scattered on the ground. It was the second shooting at the school within four days—a chilling escalation of violence targeting Montreal’s Jewish community.

Yet, in a stunning failure to acknowledge the reality of the crime, police continue to avoid labeling it as an antisemitic attack, instead making vague calls for the public’s help in combatting “gun violence.”

“Let us reiterate the importance of the public’s collaboration in the fight against gun violence,” police said in their news release—completely sidestepping the fact that a Jewish institution was deliberately targeted twice in one week.

Authorities have also refused to release the suspect’s name, where he was arrested, or whether hate crime charges will be pursued. The only details given were that he was taken into custody Wednesday morning and was expected to appear in court later in the day.

His arrest follows that of a 20-year-old taken into custody on May 22 in LaSalle. That suspect has been charged with discharging a firearm and vehicle theft—but no hate crime charges were mentioned.

The Jewish community, however, knows exactly what this was. Montreal city councillor Lionel Perez spoke out at the time of the attacks, calling them a “terrorist attack” and emphasizing that the community would not be intimidated.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)