‘Hate was motivating factor’ in Thornhill incident with demonstrators?

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York Regional Police say “hate has been determined to have been a motivating factor” in an alleged assault near a Thornhill synagogue last weekend involving a nail gun.

On Sunday around 9:45 a.m., police were called to Clark Ave. W. and South Promenade for a report of an assault with a weapon.

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Several witnesses told police “a man had stopped his vehicle near pro-Palestinian demonstrators and began shouting hateful obscenities at them, while becoming confrontational with three of the protesters.”

Police say as the incident escalated, “the suspect discharged a nail gun.” No one was injured. Video of the encounter was posted to social media and shared widely.

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Ilan-Reuben Abramov, 27, was charged the same day and faces two counts of assault, possess weapons dangerous to the public, assault with a weapon and mischief.

In a statement Friday, police say their Hate Crime Prevention Unit has determined “hate was a motivating factor in this incident and should the accused be found guilty of the offences, the hate-motivated aggravating factors will be presented in court at sentencing.”

Any witnesses who have not yet spoken to investigators or who have video footage from the area around the time of the incident are asked to contact police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7441, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

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