Hate-Crime Unit Investigates Swastikas on Three Jewish-Owned St-Laurent Businesses

Swastikas were spray-painted overnight on three neighbouring Jewish-owned businesses — a pharmacy, a butcher shop and the Italian kosher restaurant Gourmetti — on St-Louis St. in Montreal’s St-Laurent borough, Montreal police spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils said after officers were called around 3 a.m. Wednesday.

Chèvrefils said officers found “hate-related graffiti” on the pharmacy and the two neighbouring storefronts, photographed the vandalism to preserve evidence and reviewed nearby surveillance cameras as part of the investigation. The graffiti has since been removed, Chèvrefils said, and no arrests have been made; she added that the investigation is continuing.

An employee at Gourmetti, who asked not to be named, told police and reporters that “all three businesses are Jewish-owned.” The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs condemned the vandalism as “heinous acts” intended to intimidate the Jewish community and urged authorities to adopt “concrete measures to hold those responsible to account.”

The incident has already drawn public reaction on social media. An Instagram post captured the caption “night @pizzagourmetti had swastikas ... A Jewish-owned restaurant in Montreal was targeted this week in an antisemitic vandalism incident,” and a Facebook post said, “Another day, another Jewish business attacked. This time, Gourmetti and a neighbouring business in #Montreal were vandalized with swastikas.” LinkedIn commentator Michael Levitt wrote: “This is what antisemitism looks like in Canada in 2026. A kosher restaurant and surrounding businesses in Montreal vandalized with swastikas. Just days after gunfire targeted a synagogue in Toronto. Two cities. Two antisemitic attacks. This is not random. It reflects a dangerous reality, antisemitism is escalating and Jewish communities are being targeted simply for living openly as Jews.” Levitt added that “Statements of concern are no longer enough. Public officials must take visible, concrete steps to protect Jewish institutions and ensure those responsible are identified, charged, and prosecuted.”

Community groups and local voices have linked the vandalism to a broader uptick in antisemitic incidents in Montreal since Oct. 7, 2023, and called for stronger protective measures for places of worship and Jewish-owned businesses. Police so far have limited public details to the St-Louis St. location, the photographic preservation of evidence and the fact that surveillance footage has been reviewed; the hate-crimes unit continues its probe and officials have been urged to press charges when possible.

Investigators have not released suspect descriptions or file numbers, and the owners of the pharmacy and butcher shop have not been named publicly. For now, Gourmetti remains the only named business and the immediate effect has been the removal of the graffiti and a community push for “visible, concrete” action to prevent similar attacks.