Some elected officials agree with calls for armed security at Jewish schools
Posted January 9, 2024 9:38 pm.
Last Updated January 9, 2024 11:16 pm.
Several elected officials in Montreal are supporting the call to temporarily have armed security guards in Jewish schools and other gathering places.
This comes after a series of incidents last fall that included three incidences where Jewish schools were targeted by gunfire.
However, no one was injured in these shootings. Canadian Jewish organizations including the Federation CJA expressed their desire to hire off-duty armed police officers to guard synagogues and schools.
RELATED: Security stepped up at Montreal Jewish schools hit by gunshots, parents express worry
Now, the mayors of TMR and Hampstead, as well as Montreal city councilors have expressed their support for armed guards.
“As Canadian Jewish citizens, we need to feel safe to send our kids to these, to their, schools every day, and in order to be able to work and contribute to the economy we have to feel free in our minds,” said Jennifer, a Jewish Montrealer originally from France, waiting in front of the Talmud Torah Elementary school. “I think it’s extremely important the Jewish community need to feel this support from everywhere especially cities and mayors.
“We have we are sending our child to a private school and we want to be we want to be sure that they are in there are safe.”
Sasha, another Jewish Montrealer and 22-year-old daughter of Jennifer, added, “We should have armed guards because they’re out here also protecting us and God forbid if something can happen, they should be able to protect us and have things with them that can protect themselves and us because they’re here risking their lives so they should feel safe as well.”
Currently, in Quebec, it is not permitted to hire armed security guards to work in schools or other gathering places.
The attacks against the Jewish schools are part of a number of incidents against the Jewish and Muslim communities in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war.
The most recent Montreal police statistics show that between October 7th and December 19th, the total number of hate crimes and incidents against the Jewish community was 126, and for the Arab-Muslim community, 38.
