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A photo of a car with a “JDL Patrol” logo on the door was distributed by the group on March 21. “Anti-Semitic attacks against Jewish communities have increased dramatically, and therefore JDL security patrols have begun,” it said.

Asked about the JDL’s recent activities, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs spokesman Martin Sampson said the community rejected violence. “The approach adopted by the JDL is not reflective of the mainstream Canadian Jewish community.”

There is no other reason, you know, why would they attack me

The National Council of Canadian Muslims said it expected police to maintain the peace. “Should any individual or group promote hate or violence, we expect the authorities to bring them to justice,” spokeswoman Amira Elghawaby said.

In an interview, Weinstein said he opposed violence and complained that those who raised their voices against the threat of Islamist extremism were automatically branded fascist and white supremacist.

He said Solomon had asked the JDL to provide security for her at the event in Toronto because of death threats she had received. He said he wasn’t completely familiar with the Soldiers of Odin but said “the ones I’ve spoken to, they made it very clear to me that they’re not racist.”

As for the assault at the AIPAC conference two weeks ago, he said he and a JDL contingent had gone there “to have a counter-protest against the anti-Israel protests that seem to have been a tradition there.”

He said anti-Israeli protesters had been committing assaults throughout the day because police failed to keep the sides apart. Weinstein said he himself was assaulted. “We didn’t go there with any pre-meditated thinking to do any violence,” he said. “But violence broke out and the person whose picture is going around who was the victim, he’s not so innocent, that’ll come out.”

But Nayfeh said he believed he walked into a trap that day and that what he suffered was a hate crime. “Absolutely, there is no other reason, you know, why would they attack me. I haven’t spoken a word to them other than saying to the woman ‘I am Palestinian,’ or ‘I am Palestine’ and then the other word that I said was ‘Don’t touch me.’ And then I deserved to be beaten like that maliciously with a flag pole into my eye?”

• Email: sbell@nationalpost.com | Twitter: @StewartBellNP