Toronto police open hate-crime investigation after ArtHouseTO shares 'Death to the IDF!' image
The refrain, chanted by British rap duo Bob Vylan during a performance at the Glastonbury Festival in June, was reshared on the social media account of ArtHouseTO alongside a cartoon of a skeleton wearing a military helmet with the Israeli flag and a bullet hole dripping with blood.
Article content
Article content
'Hell yeah! From the river to the sea, Palestine must be free, will be, Inshallah, it will be free!' says the original post, which was published on June 29 by @ryanazak and then reshared by ArtHouseTO.
Article content
Article content
Toronto, CA 🇨🇦 ArtHouseTO is not just a controversial "art" space, it's a hub for dangerous, pro-Hamas propaganda.
In addition to their disturbing and potentially criminal promotion of 'DEATH DEATH TO THE IDF', targeting Israeli soldiers in the only Jewish state with mandatory… pic.twitter.com/pOqPYqqvhZ
— FactsMatter (@AllFactsNoHate) July 8, 2025
Article content
On June 30, Facts Matter, an antisemitism watchdog group, reported the matter to the Toronto Police Service (TPS). On July 16, Facts Matter issued a press release announcing a hate-crime investigation had been opened. TPS independently verified the development this week, telling National Post in a brief written statement 'that the Hate Crime Unit is investigating' the matter.
Article content
Article content
'We applaud the Toronto Police for acting swiftly and taking this matter seriously,' Canadian journalist and Facts Matter founder Warren Kinsella said in the press release. 'Hate has no place in Toronto, and no amount of artistic expression can disguise the promotion of violence and bigotry.'
Article content
ArtHouseTO co-creator Geoff Doner told the Post in an email on Tuesday that the artwork 'was another artist's (not our work) creative rendering of a chant heard at Glastonbury Festival, artwork we felt culturally relevant at the time.
Article content
'Because we take responses to our content seriously, we chose to take down the artwork as it was deemed offensive by some,' Doner said.
Article content
Although the graphic has been deleted, ArtHouseTO has left several messages of support for the statement on their Instagram feed. On July 2, the communal art group reposted another message defending Bob Vylan's call. 'Chanting 'Death, Death to the IDF' is a morally required rallying cry against a genocidal army that continues to mass murder, starve, torture, rape, displace and maim Palestinians at an unprecedented rate,' reads the post from @jewssaynotogenocide.
Article content
Article content
Two days later, ArtHouseTO reposted a social media message from an Australian commentator bemoaning how 'people opposing genocide are called hateful Nazis, where genocidal soldiers are a protected group and chanting for their death is a hate crime.'
Article content
Other controversial posts ArtHouseTO has reportedly reshared on Instagram include one from @cakes_stencils, which shows a cartoon stick figure throwing the flag of Israel in the garbage above the caption: 'Zionism will be thrown in same garbage dump of history of exploitative and racist ethno-nationalist ideologies,' listing white supremacy, Nazism and Apartheid South Africa.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
14 hours ago
- CTV News
Ricky Gervais calls the Toronto Islands one of his favourite places in the world as he enjoys off day in the city
Comedian Ricky Gervais is shown in Toronto in this image shared to social media on Aug. 12. (rickygervais/Instagram) Ricky Gervais appears to be making the most out of a trip to Toronto for a sold-out show at Scotiabank Arena later this week. The Toronto stop on Gervais's 'Mortality' tour isn't until Thursday night but the comedian took to social media on Tuesday to share an image of himself on a boat in Lake Ontario, noting that he had a few days off in the city and was headed to the Toronto Islands for the day. A few hours later, Gervais shared another picture from a nondescript pathway on the islands, calling it one of his 'favourite places in the world.' That image has since been liked more than 10,000 times on Instagram. Dozens of Torontonians also commented on the post, some of whom shared advice on what the comedian should check out while in the city. Another quipped that it was good he had arrived in Toronto two days early, as it may take him that long to get to the venue from his hotel due to the city's notorious traffic. Gervais last performed in Toronto back in 2023.
Winnipeg Free Press
17 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Russians at War' team on ‘shocking' backlash to film and direct-to-audience release
Anastasia Trofimova risked her life to make 'Russians at War' — and then spent the next year fighting to have the film shown. Now, after months of cancellations, protests and threats, the controversial documentary will bypass traditional channels and release directly to audiences on Tuesday. The film, which follows Russian soldiers on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, drew a standing ovation at its Venice world premiere in 2024 but quickly became a lightning rod. Its North American debut at TIFF last year was met with demonstrations from pro-Ukraine groups who called it Russian propaganda. Its screenings had to be rescheduled due to 'significant threats to festival operations and public safety.' The blowback continued throughout the year, with festivals including Athens and Zurich withdrawing the film due to mounting protests and security concerns. Meanwhile, TVO scrapped plans to air the documentary after the backlash, leaving it without a distributor. 'I was getting death threats and all sorts of abuse,' says Trofimova of the backlash. 'It was shocking. You go to the war against all odds, you bring back a story, you go deeper than other people because you're that much more obsessed about it, and you are getting attacked by people who have not been even close to the war, but they're telling you what it's like.' The Russian-Canadian director points out that many of the film's detractors said they hadn't seen the film and didn't intend to. 'They're refusing to see the film, but have very strong opinions on it. So that's been a bit surprising,' she says on a video call. In 'Russians at War,' Trofimova embeds herself with Russian troops on the front lines of the conflict in Ukraine, capturing their personal experiences and perspectives. While some have praised it for its unfiltered portrayal of soldiers' realities, others have criticized it for lacking historical and political context about the invasion, raising concerns that it might whitewash the actions of the Russian military. The film's producer Cornelia Principe says the direct-to-audience release is 'partly by design, partly by necessity.' 'It was important for us to get it out there so people can see it, because part of the controversy is coming from places where people haven't seen the film,' explains the Oscar-nominated producer behind 2022's 'To Kill a Tiger.' Principe says 'Russians at War' is still being shopped to European broadcasters and will air on British Columbia's Knowledge Network this fall as part of a series of films about the war in Ukraine. Lawyers representing the film threatened TVO with legal action last year for pulling the film, but Principe says both parties have since reached 'a mutually satisfactory settlement of our dispute and have agreed not to comment further.' She says her production company, Raja Pictures, has reclaimed the film's rights. The film is available to rent worldwide at except in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, where producers plan to offer it for free at a later date. Principe says they took inspiration from the Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land,' about the Israel-Palestine conflict, and 'Union,' which follows Amazon workers' fight to unionize — both titles faced distribution hurdles and ultimately went the direct-to-audience route. Trofimova says the intense backlash to 'Russians at War' revealed just how vulnerable films can be to organized attacks. 'It was shocking how easy it is to attack a film. If you are an interest group, if you're a state, if you're a corporation, it's not that hard to get screenings cancelled or to muddy the waters around what it's about,' she says. 'How do we make complex films and get them out there, despite the fact that they will most likely be attacked by some sort of interest group?' Principe worries about the chilling effect such pressure could have on creative freedom. 'Are we leading to situations where filmmakers will self-censor, where broadcasters will self-censor, where festivals will self-censor and not take on difficult things?' Still, Principe says she and Trofimova 'listened to what people were saying.' Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. In response to criticism that 'Russians at War' lacked sufficient context on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they added an introductory card to the direct-to-audience version noting that the invasion is 'the deadliest conflict on European soil since WWII' and that war crimes investigations by the International Criminal Court are underway. As for those still reluctant to watch the film, Trofimova says: 'Watch it when you're ready.' 'It's not a film where it's like 'gotcha.' It's not a film where I aimed to dehumanize someone. It's a document of history and this war is scary. And this war, it is a tragedy and it's still continuing. And when you watch it, just know that it's continuing,' she says. 'I hope, on the human part, we can see each other as people, and I hope that once you see what war looks like, anyone who has any illusions will understand a little bit more.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.
Calgary Herald
18 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
'Alberta came through': Permit approved for pro-Trump Christian singer's Edmonton show
Christian singer Sean Feucht speaks before his performance at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Allen McInnis / MONTREAL GAZETTE) A pro-Trump and Christian musician whose prior Canadian events have drawn cancellations and protests says his permit to perform at the Alberta legislature grounds in Edmonton next week has been approved by the provincial government. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors American singer and songwriter Sean Feucht, 41, describes himself as a musician, missionary, author and activist. Six of his events in eastern Canada earlier this summer were cancelled and rescheduled for alternate venues after local authorities pulled permits, citing concerns over crowd size and protesters. He is scheduled to return to Canada next week, including a stop at the bandshell on the legislature grounds in Edmonton on Aug. 22. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again On Monday night, Feucht posted a video to social media stating that Alberta Infrastructure had approved the permits needed for the performance to go ahead. 'We got the permit after six cancelled cities,' he said. 'Alberta came through. We're coming to Edmonton.' Feucht has threatened lawsuits in response to the cancellations, arguing his Charter rights to practise religion and freedom of speech were being infringed on. Critics have cited Feucht's views on the LGBTQ+ community, which he has called 'a cult bent on perverting and destroying the innocence of every child they can,' as well as on abortion laws, which he said 'feverishly promote the slaughter of the unborn and the newborn.' Feucht ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate for Congress in 2020. Postmedia has contacted Alberta Infrastructure seeking comment. It previously has said Feucht had submitted an incomplete application and that it was helping his organizers properly complete the required paperwork. The department added that ongoing security assessments are done for all scheduled events held at the legislature grounds. The guidelines for use of the legislature grounds state applications must be submitted four weeks in advance, with applicants mandated to have at least $2 million in liability insurance, a security plan, and proof of permits and licences, among other requirements. Feucht's scheduled events in Halifax, Charlottetown, Moncton, Quebec City, Vaughn, Ont., and Montreal were cancelled and moved to an alternate venue after permits for the public venues were revoked due to safety concerns or local codes of conduct.
