Ariella Kimmel: Extremism thrives when leaders refuse to act

Leaders are finally starting to say the right things.

Pro-Palestinian student protesters set up camp at the University of Toronto’s downtown campus. Toronto, Canada - Jun 19, 2024.

By: Ariella Kimmel

In the wake of the terrorist attack in Bondi Beach, it seems as if leaders are finally starting to realize the risk of allowing antisemitic extremism to run unchecked for years.

Calgary’s new mayor offered a powerful example of what this means in practice.

At Calgary City Hall’s Chanukah celebration, Mayor Jeromy Farkas delivered remarks that stood out not only for their eloquence, but for their accountability. He spoke plainly about antisemitism and acknowledged the very real fear that Jewish communities are living with. Most importantly, he made clear that civic leadership means showing up publicly, consistently, and without excuses.

In a room of just over a thousand, he declared “let me be absolutely crystal clear. There is no place for antisemitism in Calgary. Not on our streets, not in our schools or campuses, not at protests, not online, not hidden behind slogans, not excused as politics, because Jewish lives are not expendable. Jewish safety is not expendable.”

That moment was especially symbolic given Calgary’s recent past. Two years ago, then-Mayor Jyoti Gondek refused to attend a Chanukah event amid pressure and controversy. Farkas’ presence this week marked a break from that pattern. It signalled that someone, finally, was willing to take responsibility.

That is what leadership looks like.

The Bondi Beach attack should force a reckoning in Canada. If we want to avoid becoming the next headline, this country must do more than mourn; we must decide, clearly and concretely, that extremism has consequences and that antisemitism will not be indulged.

In Canada, politicians were quick to offer condolences. Statements flowed with the standard lines – “my thoughts are with the community”, “our government condemns all forms of hate,” “no one should be targeted for practicing their religion.” The words are familiar, and quite frankly hollow, because for the past two years, many of the same leaders issuing their thoughts and prayers have either ignored, excused, or actively engaged with movements that normalize hostility toward Jews.

Since October 7, Jewish Canadians have watched as public spaces became hostile territory. Synagogues require police protection, while Jewish schools are shot at and community centres are defaced. Rallies openly glorify terrorist groups, call for the destruction of Israel, and chant slogans that any reasonable person understands as genocidal, such as calls to “globalize the intifada”, “from the river to the sea Palestine will be free”, “there is only one solution, intifada revolution”, and “resistance is justified”.

What makes the current moment particularly dangerous is the gap between rhetoric and reality among leaders. Politicians speak of fighting hate while refusing to enforce existing laws against intimidation, mischief, and hate-motivated harassment. They speak of unity while legitimizing groups and movements that openly reject the safety of Jewish communities, even giving funding through government programs meant to combat antisemitism, to organizations that perpetrate it. They issue statements condemning violence abroad while tolerating the ideological conditions that make violence inevitable at home.

The law needs to be enforced consistently and unapologetically. Canada already has robust laws against intimidation, harassment, mischief targeting religious institutions, and the promotion of terrorist groups. What we lack is the will to enforce them when enforcement is politically uncomfortable. The police must be empowered to intervene when Jewish institutions are targeted, not after an incident, but as soon as warning signs emerge.

Second, our leaders and media need to stop legitimizing extremist movements. A clear line must be drawn between peaceful protests and movements that glorify or excuse Islamist fundamentalist terrorism. Between those who object to the actions of the state of Israel, and those who would impose a collective responsibility for those acts on the entirety of the world’s Jews. Civic institutions should not host, platform, or partner with groups that celebrate terror or dehumanize Jewish communities.

Canada urgently needs a serious, coordinated strategy to combat radicalization and extremism at home. In just the past two years, Canadian law enforcement and intelligence agencies have stopped multiple terrorist plots, including ISIS-inspired plans targeting public spaces, Jewish institutions and mass-casualty events. Youth arrests in Ottawa, the GTA, Montreal, and Edmonton for terrorism-related offences underscore a particularly alarming trend; we see radicalization increasingly happening online, quickly, and at younger ages. Plots that have been discovered were disrupted not by chance, but by intensive intelligence work, often at the last possible moment. That reality should be a wake-up call.

Preventing extremism requires more than reactive arrests, it demands sustained investment in intelligence services, clear enforcement of anti-terrorism laws, and shutting down organizations and platforms that glorify or excuse violence. It requires political leadership willing to confront radical ideologies before they metastasize into violence. We can no longer paint criticism of active and growing extremism as racist, we have to be able to talk about Islamist fundamentalism without being afraid to be silenced as a bigot. If the government fails to focus on radicalization now, it risks leaving Canadians dependent on luck rather than leadership to stay safe.

And thirdly, our political leaders must model moral clarity and show actual leadership. It means standing visibly with Jewish communities before tragedy strikes, not after.

Bondi Beach should force a reckoning in Canada. If we continue to indulge extremist rhetoric, excuse intimidation, and treat Jewish safety as optional, we should not pretend to be shocked when violence follows. Jews should not have to accept danger as the price of visibility. If leaders truly believe in fighting hate, they must start acting like it before the next beach, the next street, the next celebration becomes another crime scene. Extremism never stops at words and courage to take responsibility shouldn’t be this hard when history shows us exactly where silence leads.

Ariella Kimmel is President of Winston Wilmont, a Public Affairs Firm and a volunteer within the Jewish community.