A Jewish man says he was the victim of an anti-Semitic assault by a Montreal taxi driver in the St-Laurent borough on Sunday.
According to a statement from B’Nai Brith, the man was visiting his elderly parents at the time of the assault. The victim, who asked not to be identified, said the cab driver was blocking the underground garage of the parents’ condo building.
He alleges that the cab driver, who was in a Taxi Champlain car, shouted “I won’t move for any f—king Jews” and then threatened to kill him.
The victim said he was identifiable as a Jew because he was wearing a kippah.
When the Jewish man tried to photograph the driver’s taxi number to file a complaint, the driver exited his car and punched him repeatedly and smashed his phone.
The victim went to hospital to be treated for his injuries.
Montreal police confirmed they were aware of the incident but refused to give details of any investigation citing confidentiality concerns.
“This is a shocking antisemitic hate crime, in which someone could have been gravely injured or even killed,” said B’nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn in a statement. “Our thanks as a community go out to the good Samaritan who stepped in before this event became even uglier.”
On Friday, Champlain Taxi confirmed the driver had been fired. In a statement, the company said it takes the situation very seriously and acted as soon as they found out what happened.
"Taxi Champlain does not condone any aggression, racism or discrimination," they said. "Anybody caught is automatically expelled from the company."
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs released a statement thanking Champlain Taxi for their swift response.
"CIJA and Federation CJA have been in contact with the SPVM regarding the incident and are confident that it will be thoroughly investigated and, as the case may be, prosecuted," said CJIA-Quebec Co-Chair Reuben Poupko.
