A charge of defacing the windows of a Jewish-owned business in Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood has been upgraded to a hate crime.
Toronto police say that a man used spray paint to daub anti-Semitic graffiti on a business in the Kensington Avenue and Baldwin Street area on May 6.
“The business is owned by a member of the Jewish community,” Toronto Police Service said a news release on June 17.
The business’s manager, David Araujl, confirmed that it was The Kensary cannabis dispensary.
After consulting the service’s Hate Crime Unit, the investigation is being treated as hate motivated, police added.
Selvin Campos-Acosta, 29, of no fixed address is charged with one count of mischief under $5,000. He was scheduled to appear in court on June 17.
Police say the case remains under active investigation, and they are appealing to the public to come forward and say if there are further incidents or victims.
