An SPVM police vehicle is seen in Montreal on Aug. 29, 2024. The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi
Montreal police have identified and charged a suspect in the assault of a Jewish father in a city park last week.
Montreal City Police Services (SPVM) say they have charged 23-year-old Sergio Yanes Preciado with one count of assault causing bodily harm for the assault that was widely condemned by Canadian and international politicians.
Preciado, who is being held in a Montreal detention centre, made his first court appearance Aug. 12 and is slated to return Aug. 13. Prosecutors have asked that a psychosocial evaluation be done on him ahead of his next court date.
SPVM say the 32-year-old victim was out walking with his children in Dickie Moore Park in Montreal’s Villeray—St-Michel—Parc-Extension neighborhood when he had a bottle of water sprayed on him. The victim was then punched and kneed repeatedly after trying to confront his attacker, who subsequently ran away after throwing the victim’s yarmulke on the ground.
Police say Preciado is a resident of Montreal who lives within two kilometres of Dickie Moore Park. Quebec court Judge Éric de Champlain barred Preciado from making any contact with the alleged victim.
The attack was condemned by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who called it “an appalling act of violence” in an Aug. 9 post on X, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted Aug. 8 that the assault was “appalling and unacceptable.”
Foreign Minister of Israel Gideon Sa’ar also spoke out on the attack, saying on Aug. 9 that the assault brought up memories of “dark periods of Jewish persecution.” Sa’ar said that Canada must implement a “zero tolerance policy against anti-Semitism” and added that after speaking to comfort the victim and his family, he had invited them to visit Jerusalem.
Canada has seen a significant uptick in anti-Semitic incidents in recent years, including attempted arson attacks on synagogues and gunfire directed at a Jewish girls’ school in Toronto last year. B’nai Brith Canada reported 6,219 anti-Semitic incidents in the past year, which it says is the highest annual total since it began keeping records in the 1980s and a 7.4 percent increase from 2023.
In a July 30 statement outlining Canada’s plan to recognize Palestinian statehood at the U.N. next month, Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged the country’s growing anti-Semitism problem and said his government will introduce legislation in September to protect Jews and other “vulnerable communities” in Canada to ensure physical safety and freedom of worship.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
