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Poilievre, embassy call torn-down posters of missing Toronto girl 'vile hatred against Jews'
Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has added his voice to the growing chorus of outrage over the tearing down of posters that have been put up to aid in the search for a missing 14-year-old Jewish girl in Toronto.
Esther, affectionately known as Esti, was reported missing on Friday, May 15, in the area of Earl Bales Park , a large green space located at Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West in the northern part of the city.
Tearing down the notice of a missing 14 year old autistic girl, simply because she is Jewish, is evil on so many levels that I don’t even know where to start.Vile hatred against Jews is moving from an ugly sentiment to dangerous actions.We must end this now. And make Canada a… https://t.co/UsPv0QlQRa
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) May 28, 2026
“Tearing down the notice of a missing 14 year old autistic girl, simply because she is Jewish, is evil on so many levels that I don’t even know where to start,” Poilievre wrote in a post on X on Thursday. “Vile hatred against Jews is moving from an ugly sentiment to dangerous actions. We must end this now. And make Canada a safe place for Jews and all people.”
“This is shocking and disappointing,” the embassy of Israel in Canada wrote in a post on X. “Jew-hate is getting in the way of a missing girl being brought to safety. In Canada. In 2026. May Esti come home as soon as possible.”
Poilievre’s and the embassy’s reactions were in response to a widely shared post that alleged the woman photographed started to tear down some posters before she was stopped. The original post appears to have come from a Toronto resident posting on Facebook under the name Shana Ti. National Post has reached out to her for comments.
This is shocking and disappointing. Jew-hate is getting in the way of a missing girl being brought to safety. In Canada. In 2026.May Esti come home as soon as possible. https://t.co/23OvxTWi6c
— Israel in Canada (@IsraelinCanada) May 26, 2026
“I just stopped this woman from tearing off one of the posters of Esther at Christie and Dupont. She said. ‘Stop looking for her’ And started tearing off the poster. And I said ‘don’t tear off that poster’ and she said ‘why are you talking to me stranger?’ and I said ‘that is a poster of a missing 14-year-old girl do not remove it’ and she walked away and I took these photos.” said the post on Facebook on Thursday.
On Reddit , a post by a user named TaddyG showed a montage of hydro poles in which the posters had been ripped away, leaving just fragments.
People keep ripping down posters of Esti, the missing child from North York byu/TaddyG intoronto
Last week, Toronto police said they have elevated the search for Esther to Priority 1 status, the highest level of response and one that mobilizes extensive resources like specialized K-9 units, drones, mounted officers and large-scale ground searches, in addition to community outreach.
Esther is described as 5-foot-2, medium build, with brown hair, and was last seen wearing grey sweatpants, a green shirt and no shoes.
Meanwhile, Esther’s family announced a $25,000 reward for any information leading to her “safe return.”
In a press conference last week, Toronto police announced a dedicated phone line of 647-355-4148 for anyone with information that could assist their search. They can also call 911, Toronto police directly at 416-808-3200, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or at www.222tips.com.
“Anyone with information, no matter how small, please come forward,” Toronto Police Inspector Jon Rose said at the time.
National Post has reached out to police for more information.
Unpublished Newswire
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