Students at a Montreal Jewish school returned to class Monday after their school building was hit by gunfire over the weekend, for the second time in three days.
School spokesman Lionel Perez said classes were canceled Sunday at Yeshiva Gedola School, which houses a day care center, as well as elementary and middle school classes. Students, however, returned to class Monday, after the event he described as a hate crime and terrorist attack.
“There is no doubt that people are worried, concerned about this wave of incidents and crimes, but overall, the population, parents and the community will not allow themselves to be terrorized by such acts,” said Mr. Perez, who is the father of a child who had attended the school, as well as a former member of its board of directors. He is also the former leader of the official opposition of the City of Montreal.
Police said Sunday they responded to an early morning call about shots fired at the Yeshiva Gedola school in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood and found bullet casings on the ground once on the grounds. places.
As of Monday morning, no arrests had been made and police had no updates on the investigation.
Series of hate events
The shooting at the school represents the latest in a series of such events since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas that have left Montreal’s Jewish community on edge, including earlier shootings at Yeshiva Gedola School and another nearby school, as well as incendiary devices that caused minor damage to a synagogue and a Federation CJA office last week.
No one was injured in the incidents, and Perez said damage from Sunday’s gunfire was limited to the exterior of the building.
The shootings prompted Federation CJA, a Jewish association, to request permission Sunday to hire off-duty police officers to guard Jewish schools and synagogues.
In a statement published this weekend on X, the organization also asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet with federal intelligence and law enforcement officials “to determine the level of threat against the Jewish community and what can be put in place to ensure the security of our establishments.”
Mr Perez said police increased their presence outside the school on Monday, at the request of the community, to prevent further crimes and reassure residents. He noted that he welcomed the support given to the community by police officers and politicians at all levels of government who were quick to condemn the shootings, and he urged them to continue to fight against the rhetoric and hate crimes.
“It must be reiterated that there is absolutely no place in our society for any form of violence, whether against schools, against children or in any synagogue, mosque or church,” he said. .