Father of Jewish students in London, Ont. says daughters won’t give into fear after swastika drawn near home

The father of two Jewish students attending Western University in London, Ont. says his daughters remain courageous and will continue to be proud of their faith after a swastika was drawn near their off-campus home.

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“While I wanted to draw attention to the incident, I wanted to focus more on their response,” Darren Slavens told National Post on Monday. “These kids are warriors… Instead of fear and intimidation, these kids have responded with courage and pride and that’s what our community needs right now.”

He added that he was happy for the support shown by non-Jewish allies.

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He posted a video to Instagram after the incident last week, believing that the swastika was drawn in the front yard of his daughters’ home. He told National Post that he later learned that it was drawn next door.

In the video, he said he was “furious” that the community had to “deal with this garbage.” He said it made his “blood boil” but he felt “unbelievable pride” in his daughters and their friends.

“To those who believe they can frighten Jewish students into hiding their identity, I’ve got news for you. You’re dealing with the wrong generation,” he said. Rather than victims, “our kids are growing up to be warriors. Warriors of courage. Warriors of conviction.”

The incident occurred in the parking lot of off-campus housing for mostly Jewish students in downtown London. Video footage shows a man spraying the pavement with liquid, drawing a Nazi swastika on the ground.

The swastika was drawn in gasoline, according to a joint statement by local Jewish groups.

“Chabad at Western’s Rabbis arrived on the scene within minutes to support Jewish students and ensure they felt safe and cared for,” said the statement. “They immediately contacted the London Police Service and the hate crime unit to help emphasize the urgency and seriousness of the incident, contributing to a swift police response.”

Police said they were told that a man who was “completing construction work” in the city used equipment to create what appeared to be the Nazi symbol. Police were provided with photos and videos of the incident from nearby residents.

A 56-year-old London resident identified by police as Gordon Botaitis was arrested on Oct. 23 and charged with one count of offence motivated by hatred.

Jewish advocacy group The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said in a post on X that drawing the swastika was not only antisemitic, but was an “attack on the inclusive, democratic values that all Canadians share.”

It was proud of the “students who responded with solidarity and defiance” and commended local police for acting quickly. However, they called for enforcement to be consistent nationwide and for extremism to be “stopped before it takes root.”

“We urge authorities at all levels to confront the radicalization spreading across our campuses and throughout the country, where antisemitic libels and conspiracies about Jews and Israelis fuel hatred, violence and even terrorism,” said CIJA.

Meanwhile, Slavens — who posts frequently about Israel and Zionism —  said he’s used to receiving hate mail and hate comments, but this time he said there was a number of people giving their support, which he called “heartwarming.”

“I still hold the university and universities across this country responsible. They are a key source of the dehumanization of Jews through allowing the lie of genocide, the lie of apartheid, and the Free Palestine movements to flourish on campus,” he said.

“Something must be done in this country to stop the tropes on campus and on social media, and this event has shown me our kids have the courage and the knowledge to continue this fight against Jew hate”

Western University did not immediately respond to National Post’s request for comment.

In September, there was a string of antisemitic incidents in Ontario, including a shooting at a Belleville synagogue on Yom Kippur that left a police officer in critical condition.

Later that month, a 19-year-old Whitby man was arrested for making threats online to shoot up a synagogue. Less than a week later, a 33-year-old Kitchener man was arrested for making antisemitic comments online “directed at members of the Jewish community.”

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