View this in PDF format Montreal, July 22, 2026 — The Anti-Racism Program of the CJPME Foundation (ARPCF) condemns the hate crime targeting the Islamic Centre of Verdun in Montreal, where a package containing what appeared to be an imitation severed human hand covered in fake blood was reportedly left at the entrance of the mosque and community centre. This horrifying act of intimidation targeted a space where families, children, women, and worshippers gather for prayer, education, and community life. The ARPCF expresses its solidarity with the Islamic Centre of Verdun and with all community members who were frightened and shaken by this incident.  

View this report in PDF format. On November 2, 2023, Hani Alaf, a Syrian-Canadian postgraduate student at Humber College, engaged in a peaceful protest by placing stickers around the Lakeshore campus. These stickers, which displayed the Palestinian flag along with the phrase "Boycott Israeli Apartheid," were intended to highlight and protest against Israel’s systemically racist policies in Palestine.[1] Alaf’s action was a form of political expression rooted in international human rights advocacy. However, the college's response was swift and severe. Two days after the stickers were posted, while Alaf was in class, he was approached by a member of the college's public safety department. He was instructed to leave the campus immediately. Alaf reported that he was accused of spreading hate speech, engaging in antisemitic rhetoric, and vandalizing property.[2] This reaction by the college sparked a significant controversy, as it appeared to conflate his support for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement and anti-apartheid stance with antisemitism and hate speech, raising concerns about the college’s suppression of political expression and academic freedom. The incident quickly escalated, leading to a broader discussion on the rights of students to engage in political protests without fear of undue penalization. The punishment taken against Alaf, which many perceived as an infringement on his freedom of speech, catalyzed a series of organized protests and expressions of solidarity by other members of the Humber College community.