Threatening pro-Hamas graffiti appears near Calgary synagogue during pro-Israel march

Threatening pro-Hamas messages were graffitied near a Calgary synagogue and Jewish day school on Saturday night, Canadian Jewish organizations announced on Monday, and the Calgary Beth Tzedec Congregation told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

“The flood is coming,” read black graffiti photographed by the Calgary Jewish Federation near the Beth Tzedec Congregation and Calgary Jewish Academy.

Al-Aqsa Flood was the Hamas operational name of the October 7 Massacre. The Calgary Federation said on social media that the reference emphasized an “insidious” intent to intimidate the community.

Next to the phrase was an inverted red triangle, a symbol often used and popularized by Hamas propaganda videos to denote the targeting of enemies.

The red triangle appeared in two more locations, along a wall near the Jewish sites. One red triangle was coupled with the phrase “free Palestine,” and the other was next to graffiti saying “for Hind Rajab.”

Anti-Jewish graffiti appears near Calgary synagogue

Rajab was allegedly killed by IDF fire during fighting in the Gaza Strip in January, and her memory has served as a rallying call for pro-Palestinian activists.

The graffiti appeared as thousands of community members took part in a Sunday Calgary Jews Stand United Walk With Israel. While the graffiti was along the march route, the congregation said that none of it was on the synagogue property.

“Images of Jewish hatred and public death threats to Calgary’s Jewish community were on display this weekend near a synagogue and Jewish day school as a means to intimidate the local community and its allies as they walked for Israel and against antisemitism,” the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said on X.

Member of Parliament Shuv Majumdar said that the incident was an act of intimidation but that it would not work against locals.

“We must always defend the freedom of all Canadians to worship in peace and protect innocents from monsters trafficking in violent ideologies,” Majumdar said on social media. “We will call out antizionism and antisemitism at every turn. We choose freedom over fear.”

Beth Tzedec Congregation CEO David Inhaber said Sunday’s march was a success and thanked the police and security for protecting the event.

The removal of the graffiti had begun but had not been finished by Tuesday night.