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Letters: ‘We knew this was coming’

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Letters: ‘We knew this was coming’. (2026, September 27). National Post. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/letters-we-knew-this-was-coming

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

National Post · collected 2026-09-27 · by Letters

Quick Summary

A letter writer expresses concern over antisemitic attacks in Canada, specifically mentioning an attack on a synagogue in Belleville where a police officer was critically injured. The author argues that while the attacker is not Muslim, rallies promoting hatred against Jews must be taken seriously due to their influence on antisemitism. The letter also criticizes government actions perceived as supportive of those who demonize Israel, suggesting these factors contribute to an environment conducive to violence against Jewish communities.
Written by AI on 2026-09-27, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 20, 2023 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, a police officer was shot during an interaction with an individual near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue around 7:10 p.m. Both the officer and the individual sustained injuries and were transported to the hospital. The incident occurred as Jewish community members gathered for Yom Kippur services. Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) was notified and is investigating the shooting. Premier Doug Ford condemned the attack, stating that those responsible should be arrested and prosecuted. Local police have not provided further details about the incident while the investigation continues.

Written for “Belleville Synagogue Shooting” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 55 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Belleville Synagogue Shooting
Crime & Law · 56 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly right and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Toronto Star
Hedges 5 of 72 claims Outlet record 64/100
National Post
Hedges 5 of 42 claims Outlet record 60/100
National Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 1 of 42 claims Outlet record 60/100
National Post
⚖️ Leans left further left than this Hedges 5 of 33 claims Outlet record 60/100
National Post
⚖️ Leans left further left than this Hedges 0 of 41 claims Outlet record 60/100
National Post
Hedges 4 of 21 claims Outlet record 60/100
The Globe and Mail
Hedges 4 of 38 claims Outlet record 52/100
National Post
Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A discusses Avi Lewis defending his social media post during Yom Kippur and mentions a shooting at a Belleville synagogue, while Article B focuses on letters responding to the aftermath of the same shooting incident but is not reporting on the initial event or Lewis's comments.”
BBC News
Hedges 0 of 21 claims Outlet record 68/100
The Globe and Mail
⚖️ Leans left further left than this Hedges 4 of 55 claims Outlet record 52/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
79
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
4 of 79 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
60/100
National Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
56
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-27 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

National Post · 1242 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)

Who wrote this

No reporter is named on this article, beyond the feed's “Letters”.

Topics

Belleville Canada Islamist Jewish Jews

Subjects

Jewish NORP · 4× Carney PERSON · 3× Islamist NORP · 3× Belleville GPE · 2× Jews NORP · 2× Belleville Police ORG · 1× Canada GPE · 1× Jeff Smith PERSON · 1× Muslim NORP · 1× Smith PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Poilievre’s critics should be concentrating on the real problem: How can we free Canada from the grip of the federal Liberals and their leader Mark Carney, who incidentally, by his non-stop foreign travelling and disdain of Parliament, shows that he truly does not have a clue about, or perhaps does not care about, trying to solve the problems that plague Canada?
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-27
🔮 Some will seize on this to claim that concerns about Islamist-inspired hate rallies are overblown.
2026-09-27 · National Post
Letters: ‘We knew this was coming’ · assertive framing

Claims (79 extracted, 4 hedged)

‘We simply cannot ignore these conditions’ asserted
We → ignore → conditions
I write in despair for the Jewish community in Canada and around the world. asserted
I → write → world
In the attack on the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, Belleville Police Constable Jeff Smith was critically injured while stopping the attacker. asserted
Smith → injure → attacker
I thank the Belleville police and Const. Smith deeply and wish him a full and speedy recovery. asserted
I → thank → recovery
In the immediate aftermath, many assumed the perpetrator must be a Muslim extremist or an Islamist. asserted
perpetrator → assume → aftermath
It turns out the alleged attacker was a local non-Muslim. asserted
attacker → turn → ?
Some will seize on this to claim that concerns about Islamist-inspired hate rallies are overblown. uncertain
concerns → seize → rallies
It is precisely because Islamist rallies that promote hate toward Jews are permitted on our streets and within Jewish neighbourhoods that they must be taken seriously. asserted
they → promote → neighbourhoods
We simply cannot ignore these conditions that foster a nationwide atmosphere of antisemitism. asserted
that → ignore → antisemitism
In addition to allowing demonstrations of overt antisemitism to continue unabated, hatred toward Canadian Jews has exploded because of the actions of our national government, which for the past decade has repeatedly acted with malice against the Jewish state. asserted
which → allow → state
The result is a sustained atmosphere of Jew-hatred in which people like the Belleville shooter, or others, feel justified in becoming violent antisemites. asserted
people → feel → shooter
We knew this was coming. asserted
this → know → ?
Unless the Carney government stops demonizing Israel for defending itself in an existential war, and unless provincial and municipal authorities end the hate fests on our streets, more attacks will follow. asserted
attacks → stop → streets
Once again we are confronted by an antisemitic incident that could have turned more deadly. uncertain
that → confront → incident
Once again politicians of all stripes, from local to national, are mouthing their outrage. asserted
politicians → mouth → outrage
Kudos to the police who are doing their job. asserted
who → do → job
This will continue until judges start handing out meaningful sentences. asserted
judges → continue → sentences
And how about a bill that would require mandatory financial restitution for any deliberate damage caused by groups or single actors. asserted
that → require → groups
Why should insurance companies — and ultimately the victims paying higher rates — foot the bill? asserted
companies → pay → bill
Anyone wilfully damaging property should have to pay the damages, no matter how long it takes. asserted
it → damage → damages
And maybe those who are funding “demonstrations” will get tired of having to shell out to fix synagogue windows and doors, Jewish schools, community centres and businesses. asserted
who → fund → windows
Warren Kinsella’s book, The Hidden Hand, which exposes who is behind the outbreak of antisemitism we are experiencing, should be required reading for all politicians of all levels. asserted
we → expose → levels
Penina Honig, Toronto Planes, trains and Carney There’s a funny scene in the 1987 comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles in which John Candy and Steve Martin are driving at night in the wrong direction on a freeway. asserted
Candy → ’ → freeway
The driver of a passing car frantically screams at them, “You’re going the wrong way.” asserted
You → pass → them
But Candy and Martin pay no heed until they are almost obliterated by two huge transports going in the right direction. asserted
they → pay → direction
By his “Back to Europe” pivot, Prime Minister Mark Carney is driving eastward in a world where the largest and fastest growing regional economy is westward — the Asia Pacific region. asserted
economy → drive → world
Western Canada — which looks west not east for the future — shouts, “You’re going the wrong way.” asserted
You → look → future
But will Mr. Carney listen? asserted
Carney → listen → ?
Preston Manning, Calgary Some tips for the Tories If Conservatives really want to form a government there is only one change that will lead them there, and that’s a change in leadership. asserted
that → want → leadership
Losing one’s own long-held safe riding seat, losing a federal election, losing MPs to another party, losing byelections, trailing miserably in preferred leadership polls etc, yet still believing that everything is somehow going to work out in the end, is rabbit-hole thinking. asserted
everything → lose → end
Blaming Donald Trump or the EU won’t change anything. asserted
Blaming → blame → anything
If the party doesn’t think a leadership change is important, just look across the aisle to what happened when a new leader arrived on the scene. asserted
leader → think → scene
Douglas Cornish, Ottawa I am fed up with the ridiculous criticism of Pierre Poilievre from within his own party. asserted
I → feed → party
How about, for once, you show a united front for your leader? asserted
you → show → leader
Or are all of you actually enjoying shooting yourselves in your collective foot? asserted
all → enjoy → foot
Poilievre’s critics should be concentrating on the real problem: How can we free Canada from the grip of the federal Liberals and their leader Mark Carney, who incidentally, by his non-stop foreign travelling and disdain of Parliament, shows that he truly does not have a clue about, or perhaps does not care about, trying to solve the problems that plague Canada? asserted
that → concentrate → Canada
My bet is that long before the deadline date of his current contract, Carney will quit this job. asserted
Carney → quit → job
But it would be far more rewarding if he could be defeated in an election. uncertain
he → defeat → election
And that will only happen if the Opposition makes a united effort to pursue that aim. asserted
Opposition → happen → aim
Our Official Opposition, the Conservatives, need to stop hoping to find weaknesses in prime minister Mark Carney. asserted
Opposition → need → Carney
…and 39 more, not listed.
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