Could Montreal be the next LA?

Montreal’s Ste-Catherine Street East was practically deserted yesterday afternoon with only a handful of pedestrians strolling down the sidewalks in the light rain. Were it not for two news reporters broadcasting in front of the largely-shuttered Steve’s Music Store, one might even have assumed it was under renovation. Except, as has been widely publicized, Steve’s was among the dozens of retailers targeted by looters on Sunday night following a peaceful protest against racial profiling and police brutality in the wake of the death of Minneapolis’ George Floyd.

As the Justice for George movement gains worldwide traction, Jews and Israel are increasingly becoming the targets of related anti-Semitism. First, as Editor-in-Chief Marty Gold noted in his editorial, Israel was blamed for training American police officers. Then, over the weekend, synagogues in Los Angeles’ Fairfax neighborhood were defaced with vile graffiti, while stores selling kosher food were looted and left significantly damaged.