A Hamilton man has been charged with multiple hate crimes, including advocating genocide and willful promotion of antisemitism, after investigators uncovered threatening online posts targeting the Jewish community.
Hamilton Police launched an investigation on September 27, 2024, after learning of the posts. Their Hate Crime Unit identified the suspect as 32-year-old Harley Mitchell. On October 1, 2024, Mitchell was arrested and initially charged with one count of uttering threats to cause death and one count of failing to comply with probation.
Following further investigation, police submitted their findings to the Ontario Attorney General’s Office for approval of additional hate crime-related charges. On January 30, 2025, Mitchell was formally charged with:
- Advocating genocide
- Willful promotion of hatred
- Willful promotion of antisemitism
The original charges against him remain in place.
In a statement, Hamilton Police reiterated their stance against hate-motivated crimes, declaring: “Hate has no place in Hamilton.”