Commission Condemns Antisemitism
The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission condemns the acts of antisemitism targeting Synagogues in Halifax over the weekend and calls upon all Nova Scotians to stand up in defense of one another’s human rights and inherent dignity.
- 2 Halifax synagogues vandalized overnight, rabbi calls it 'escalation' of antisemitism
- Statement from Halifax Regional Police Chief Don MacLean on Hate Crime Incidents
Harassment, intimidation, or violence aimed at Jewish individuals based on their faith or identity stands in direct opposition to the most fundamental principles of dignity, equality, and mutual respect. Such behavior is antithetical to the values that we must defend under all circumstances.
In Nova Scotia, there is no ambiguity: our province’s Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, creed, race, and ethnicity, and national origin. The Human Rights Commission affirms that every person is entitled to equal treatment and protection under the law - regardless of religion, creed or background.
These are not isolated incidents - they are symptoms of a broader societal failure to ensure respect for human rights. To permit such acts, or to treat them with indifference, is to erode the foundations upon which our collective safety and mutual trust stand. Every Jewish person in Nova Scotia - and every Nova Scotian - deserves to live without fear of hate. Let this moment serve as a call to reaffirm our shared commitment to human rights, to education, to accountability, and to a community in which intolerance has no shelter.
The preceding is a statement from Joseph Fraser, Director & CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.