A post-Halloween bomb threat was sent to a number of Ontario schools, most of them in northern parts of the province around Timmins but some in Toronto, Cornwall and Ottawa, and one in Burlington.
It appears one was a Jewish school, raising concerns the threats may be connected to the war between Israel and Hamas. Both Muslim and Jewish organizations have expressed fear of hate crimes against synagogues, mosques, schools and community centres since the war began.
Then again, there may be something else going on. It appears some of the bomb threats included a demand for payment.
In addition, the timing of the threats on the day after Halloween suggests some kind of warped and misguided, although organized, prank.
A number of schools were evacuated; to date, no bombs have been found, according to an OPP statement. Police are continuing their investigation.
Given that terrorists who want to wreak havoc by setting bombs rarely announce their intent ahead the explosion, something about this mess hints less at terrorism and more at someone (or a group) with too much time on their hands. The result could be them doing time.
Granted, this could have been an attempt to let people know what it feels like to have their children threatened with violence, the way innocent civilians on both sides of that war in the Middle East are threatened.
If so, it is a sad comment on the ethics of those making the bomb threats. Since when is scaring the living daylights out of little kids a valid way of making a political statement?
This is Canada. If we disagree with the stand our country’s leaders have taken on an issue, we are free to express that. People in this country do not get arrested for saying they think a leader is incorrect. We can make our feelings known through letters to the editor (signed with the writer’s real name), or by holding a rally with loudspeakers and signs. We can contact our area’s member of parliament. We can take up a petition.
In this country, we have any number of legal options for making a political statement, from grumbling unflattering things in the coffee shop, to putting up banners and holding formal meetings.
The key word is “legal.”
Whatever the reason for these recent bomb threats, they crossed the line. This was no isolated exam-day phone call, made with a giggle in a very young-sounding voice. This was an organized campaign aimed at disrupting, frightening, and tying up police resources.
In addition, it was cowardly, as anonymous threats of violence tend to be. Those who prefer to make threats anonymously may fear public retaliation, if their identities were known. They may fear damage to their reputation or place in the community. They may be afraid to speak out openly if they know their stance on a cause is unpopular.
In the case of threats like this, the perpetrators undoubtedly fear the legal consequences – and rightly so, because there will be some.
Bank robbers and other criminals hide behind masks for a reason.
It has nothing to do with whether they feel their cause is just. What it has to do with is committing an illegal act.
Tying up police resources with fake bomb threats at multiple locations has the potential of endangering lives. A person does not need to be a genius to figure out what happens if police and firefighters are busy on one side of town looking for bombs, when a deadly car crash occurs an hour away, on the other side of town.
One can only hope that when the authorities figure out who made the bomb threats – and the chances are, they will – the fake bombers have the opportunity to do a couple of ride-alongs with emergency services. They need to see that there are times when seconds can spell the difference between life and death.
A fake bomb threat is neither a political statement nor a Halloween prank; it is a potentially life-threatening crime.
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Pauline Kerr is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter with Midwestern Newspapers. For question or comment, she can be reached via email at pkerr@midwesternnewspapers.com.
