Noah Shack: Christie Pits a reminder that fighting extremism falls on all of us
- The Christie Pits Riot of 1933 was a major outbreak of violence in Toronto sparked by the display of a Nazi swastika banner and anti-Jewish taunts at a baseball game, involving over 10,000 people.
- Today, Canada faces evolving threats of ideological extremism, including ISIS-inspired plots, pro-terrorism protests, and targeted attacks on Jewish Canadians and diplomatic sites, often orchestrated by foreign entities such as Iran.
- Historical lessons from Christie Pits emphasize the importance of rejecting foreign extremist ideologies, community solidarity against hate, and sustained efforts to uphold Canadian values of peace and inclusion.
- Current Canadian leaders and citizens are urged to actively confront and prevent extremism, resist imported foreign conflicts, and protect the country’s civic foundations to ensure a united and safe society for all.
According to family lore, my grandfather was among those who fought at Christie Pits. On Aug.16, 1933, he was one of many who gathered at the Toronto park for what should have been an enjoyable baseball game on a warm summer evening.
As players took the field, a group of young men unfurled a homemade Nazi swastika banner. They shouted “Heil Hitler” and taunted Jewish spectators. Violence erupted. Before the night was over, more than 10,000 participants and spectators had been drawn into what became known as the Christie Pits Riot, one of the largest outbreaks of public violence in Canadian history.
Much has changed since 1933, but threats of ideological extremism and violence have not disappeared — they have evolved. Nearly a century later, Canada again faces the challenge of foreign hatred and conflict being imported into our communities to divide Canadians, intimidate minorities and undermine the values that define our country.
At least four ISIS-inspired terrorist plots have been prevented by Canadian security services over the past three years. Protests that have shown support for terrorist groups have blocked ambulances, disrupted public transportation, stopped Pride parades and intimidated Christmas shoppers. A leader in the pro-Palestinian protest movement in Toronto was charged with acting for the benefit of, and in association with, Hamas. Jewish Canadians continue to be harassed and intimidated in our neighbourhoods and at cultural events. Our schools, synagogues and businesses have faced repeated shootings and arson attacks. The U.S. Consulate in Toronto was shot at twice in a four-month span.
Secretary of State for Combating Crime Ruby Sahota said that those responsible for some of these attacks were hired and paid “by a foreign entity,” with Canada’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre warning of the “realistic possibility” that the Islamic Republic of Iran is directing local criminal networks to target Jewish Canadians. Police Chief Myron Demkiw has identified the common modus operandi involving “criminals for hire” targeting diplomatic and Jewish sites. The result: a new, heavily armed anti-terrorism police unit patrolling near synagogues, mass transit, sporting events and places where Canadians spend time with their families.
The extremists who espouse hatred of Israel and Jews, seek to import foreign conflict and justify political violence are putting all of us and our Canadian way of life in danger.
The lessons of the Christie Pits Riot are important for us to consider as we meet this moment.
First, violence became inevitable only because of the general tolerance of a foreign, extreme ideology — in this case Nazism — being imported onto Canadian streets to sow hatred and violence. A parallel tolerance of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hate wearing the mask of anti-Zionism is driving the current crisis.
Second, Jews did not stand alone confronting the threat. Most notably, Italian Canadians, who also faced prejudice and discrimination, refused to look the other way and fought alongside my grandfather. Canadians must mirror this resolve again today. The Iranian Canadians who stood up to anti-Israel protesters threatening the Israel Pavilion at the Edmonton Heritage Festival this month should not just be lauded — they should be emulated.
Third, when the dust settled, there was broad recognition of the need for change, and Canadians from all walks of life worked tirelessly and consistently to build a better Canada. Authorities banned the public display of the Nazi swastika in Toronto, dismantled discriminatory laws and policies and established the Bill of Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Today, extremists are eroding those hard-fought gains. As Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged in his address on Canada’s antisemitism crisis: “Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians” and that “if that covenant fails for one of our communities, it fails us all.” The foundations that protect every Canadian are being put at risk.
The lesson of Christie Pits is that Canadians refused to let a destructive foreign ideology define our country. They responded with courage, pushing back against this scourge in the moment, and with sustained commitment to make Canada a country of peace, order and good government.
Nearly a century later, we face this test again. Our leaders must resist the temptation to import foreign conflict, divide communities for political expediency and fan the flames of hate. Governments and authorities need to move beyond sympathy to action, from reaction to prevention, with a relentless focus on confronting the extremists who threaten us all.
Every Canadian has a responsibility to take a stand. The story of Canada must not be written by extremists spreading hatred and violence, but by all of us who stand together to oppose them.
National Post
Noah Shack, CEO at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.