Winnipeg Jewish residents were the targets of almost a third of all hate-motivated crime in the Canadian city last year, according to data published by the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) on Wednesday, making them the most targeted demographic group.
The WPS 2025 Annual Statistical Report detailed that of the 112 hate-motivated crimes in the city, 32 were against Jews.
A total of 37 crimes in Winnipeg were motivated by religion, with 86% of them targeting Jews. The second highest affected group was Muslims, with three reported incidents.
There were more racially motivated crimes than there were religiously motivated, with black Canadians targeted in 23 of 49 reports in 2025. This meant that Jews were the group most targeted that year.
While Jews were the most targeted group in Winnipeg, according to a 2021 Statistics Canada census, just under 1.5% of the city was Jewish.
Hate-motivated crimes skyrocketed 2025
Hate-motivated crimes had skyrocketed in Winnipeg in 2025, with only 28 in 2022, 46 in 2023, and 44 in 2024. There was an almost 155% increase in hate-motivated crimes from 2024 to 2025.
Most of all hate crime incidents, 73%, were mischief offences, which include vandalism and property damage. Instances of criminal harassment accounted for 6%, and another 6% were cases of threats. Only seven cases were assaults.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said on X/Twitter on Thursday that it was essential to protect community members through enhanced security and accountability for offenders.
“Governments and authorities at every level must do far more to confront the extremists threatening not only Jewish Canadians, but also our national security and Canadian way of life,” said CIJA.
At the beginning of the year, a Winnipeg synagogue was defaced with swastikas and antisemitic messages. An individual spray-vandalized the Congregation Shaarey Zedek marble facade and door glass panels with graffiti that included swastikas and the word “hate.”
On May 14, the Toronto Police Service released data showing that of the 231 hate crimes in 2025, the city’s Jews were the target of 81. Despite being 3.6% of Toronto’s population, they were also the chief target of hate crimes that year.
The percentage of religiously motivated crimes in Toronto in 2025 that targeted Jews rose slightly from 80% to 82%.
Most of the anti-Jewish incidents were “mischief” related, with 72 incidents, or 88%, involving property damage or vandalism.