A disturbing video from Montreal has sparked outrage after an effigy that appeared to depict a Jewish figure wearing a kippah was seen hanging by a noose during an anti-Israel rally. Reports say the display was part of a protest where multiple effigies were shown, including figures identified as Israeli officials and Donald Trump. Montreal police are reportedly investigating the incident through a hate-crimes lens. ()
Ashley Steinwald, a prominent figure in the Montreal Jewish community, also condemned the incident. Taking to Instagram, Steinwald expressed serious disappointment and concern over what many have described as a pro-Hamas display of hate. Her reaction reflects a wider sense of alarm among Jewish Montrealers who see the image not as political protest, but as open antisemitic intimidation.
Whatever someone’s political position on Israel, Gaza, or the Middle East, there is a line that should never be crossed. A Jewish figure in a kippah hanging from a rope is not a political argument. It is not activism. It is not “resistance.” It is a violent image with a clear message of intimidation toward Jewish people.
This is especially serious in Montreal, a city with a large Jewish community and a painful recent history of antisemitic incidents. Jewish schools, synagogues, community buildings, and students have already faced hostility since October 7. In that climate, displaying a hanged Jewish figure is not symbolic protest. It is a threat in visual form.
Canadian MP Anthony Housefather reportedly described the display as “disgusting, antisemitic and clear incitement,” while other local voices also called for police action. () That response is necessary, but it should not stop there. Political leaders, universities, community organizations, and civil society groups need to condemn this clearly, without hiding behind vague language about tensions or controversy.
There is a dangerous pattern in which antisemitism is excused when it appears under the banner of anti-Israel activism. That excuse cannot apply here. A noose around a Jewish symbol is not criticism of a government. It is the public humiliation and symbolic execution of a Jew.
Montreal should be better than this. Canada should be better than this. Protests can be emotional, angry, and political, but they cannot become spaces where Jewish people are visually threatened and then told they are overreacting.
The message should be simple: no political cause gives anyone the right to normalize images of Jews being hanged. This incident must be investigated, condemned, and treated with the seriousness it deserves.