The killing of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, D.C., by a far-left activist shouting “free Palestine” has sparked calls for stricter laws against the glorification of terrorism by Canada’s Jewish advocacy groups.
A young couple set to be married, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were shot and killed Wednesday night while working for the Israeli embassy outside of a Jewish Museum in the U.S. capital.
The alleged shooter, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, shouted “free, free Palestine” while being arrested after allegedly taking credit for the incident in the moments preceding the attack.
The incident took place at the American Jewish Committee’s event, which Canadian Jewish rights groups say was an event focused on extending humanitarian aid into Gaza as Israel continues its war to rid the region of Hamas control.
Canadian Jewish advocates are calling the murders a “wake-up call” and are demanding legislative bodies take direct action to strengthen Canada’s laws against the glorification of terrorism.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs’ interim president, Noah Shack, released a statement condemning the attack and mourning for the families of the victims.
“As we await further details about this horrific crime, reports that the assailant shouted ‘free Palestine’ speak to the danger of the intensifying rhetoric targeting our community,” Shack said in a statement. “What happened in Washington is the result of the predictable pattern of growing hate and incitement targeting Jews in North America.”
“This includes strengthening laws to tackle the open support for terrorism taking place in Canadian streets and enhancing measures to secure Jewish institutions here in Canada,” he continued.
Prime Minister Mark Carney shared his condolences for the Jewish community and pledged to “act to keep Jewish Canadians safe.”
“We’ll increase funding to the Canada Community Security Program and introduce legislation to make it a criminal offence to intentionally and willfully obstruct access to any place of worship, schools, and community centres; and a criminal offence to willfully intimidate or threaten those attending services at these locations,” Carney pledged in a post on X.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre similarly posted a message of support for the Jewish community following the attack, asserting Canada needs to do “everything” it can to stop “this evil.”
Another leading Jewish rights group in Canada, B’nai Brith Canada, released a similar message renewing calls for their long-advocated position that Canada’s governments need to strengthen laws and take action against the willful glorification of terrorism on its streets.
“When the shooter was arrested, he was chanting ‘Free Palestine.” Let that sink in,” B’nai Brith said in a post on X. “This did not happen in a vacuum. When leaders turn a blind eye to rising antisemitism…When institutions excuse or enable extremist rhetoric…When calls for violence are dismissed as ‘free speech’…Extremism takes root.”
The group said the shooting was more than just the murder of two innocent people, and that it was the “bloody consequence” of a “culture that has normalized antisemitic hatred under the banner of activism.”
“Leaders who have allowed this environment to fester are not observers. They are enablers. They are responsible. Enough is enough,” B’nai Brith said. “Canada’s leaders must act—not with statements, but with consequences—against those who incite, radicalize, and poison our public spaces with hate.”
Rodriguez, the shooter from Chicago, IL, was at one point a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Chicago.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation sent out a statement denouncing the violence and asserting that they had not been in contact with the individual for over seven years.
“We reject any attempt to associate the PSL with the DC shooting. Elias Rodriguez is not a member of the PSL. He had a brief association with one branch of the PSL that ended in 2017,” the party said in a post on X. “We know of no contact with him in over 7 years. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it.”