Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faced criticism for failing to promptly condemn the assault of a Jewish man walking with his children in a Montreal suburb on Friday.

The man was walking with his three children in a park when an unknown individual approached and sprayed them with water. The assailant then physically assaulted the father, knocking him to the ground and tossing his kippah away, a traditional skullcap worn by observant Jewish men.

On Monday, police in Montreal announced the arrest of a 27-year-old suspect in connection with the assault, an incident that has fueled growing calls for the Canadian government to crack down on rampant antisemitism.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a press conference about recognizing Palestinian statehood while Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand listens, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on July 30, 2025. (Reuters)

“Canada had the chance to change course after the disaster of [former Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau’s tenure, but instead chose to continue marching toward the abyss. It is beyond doubt that a violent incident like the one we witnessed in Montreal draws direct inspiration from the tailwind Canada’s government, de facto, gives to Hamas,” Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism Amichai Chikli told Fox News Digital.

“Canada is not yet at the stage of Belgium or the U.K.—both of which have become extremely dangerous for Jews—but it is headed there, slowly and inexorably,” he added.

Carney commented on the incident at 11 p.m. Saturday — roughly a day and a half later — after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar publicly criticized Ottawa’s response.

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism Amichai Chikli condemned the attack on a Jewish man in Montreal. (Shahar Azran/Getty Images)

“The attack on a Jewish father in Montreal late yesterday, in front of his own children, is an appalling act of violence. Everyone in Canada has an inalienable right to live in safety,” Carney posted on X.

Sa’ar had called him out on X, writing, “The incident shown in this video is shocking and stomach-turning. … These are images reminiscent of dark periods of Jewish persecution. This is appalling.

“The Canadian government must do more to fight antisemitism!” he added.

Although Jews account for less than 1% of Canada’s population, antisemitism was behind 18.8% of all reported hate crimes in 2024. Of the 1,342 incidents classified as religiously motivated, 920, or 68.5%, were directed at the Jewish community.

Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, noted that just a week earlier a synagogue in Victoria, British Columbia, had been defaced with antisemitic threats, underscoring that Jew-hatred has become a nationwide problem.

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“As the situation continues to devolve, Jewish Canadians do not need to be placated with mere lip service. We need our leaders to take clear and unequivocal positions and work vigorously to facilitate change. Anything less only serves to further embolden and enable the vitriolic cohort of our society that continues to attack our community,” Robertson told Fox News Digital.

A man fixes the lock of the doors of Congregation Beth Tikvah as police investigate an alleged arson at the synagogue in the suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux in Montreal on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

“What happened in Montreal on Friday afternoon was absolutely horrific. It must serve as a wake-up call for the entire city. This is what happens when civic leaders permit an atmosphere where hateful thugs feel as if they can act with impunity,” he said.

The attack occurred amid a broader climate of intense antisemitism, which recently led Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, to resign in July — three months before her term ended — citing physical and emotional exhaustion.

It also took place against a backdrop of strained Canada-Israel relations. Canada is one of four countries, alongside France, Australia and the United Kingdom, that have announced their intention to recognize a Palestinian state.

Canada’s former ambassador to Israel, Vivian Bercovici, told Fox News Digital that it’s difficult to discuss the past two years of rising antisemitism in Canada without looking back to October 2015, when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was first elected prime minister.

“In my view, Trudeau’s approach to the conflict was very unsophisticated. He had a very quickly growing Muslim population in Canada, and he was careful not to do anything to alienate those voters,” Bercovici said.

Anti-Israel protesters holding antisemitic posters in Alberta, Canada, on April 13, 2025. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via AP)

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According to Statistics Canada, the share of the population identifying as Muslim more than doubled over 20 years, increasing from 2.0% (579,640 people) in 2001 to 4.9% (1,775,715 people) in 2021.

“What we’ve seen, as in many other parts of the West, is that they have come and demanded that we change to accommodate them — that we change the way we do things. Some of their most consistent demands concern Israel and Jewish communities, which have increasingly become targets,” Bercovici said.