Toronto police have pressed charges against a 25-year-old woman, Skigh Johnson, in connection with the alleged vandalism of a Forest Hill Starbucks, where pro-Palestinian messages were displayed. The incident, initially categorized as a “mischief-related incident,” prompted officers to respond to the coffee shop at Eglinton Avenue West and Bathurst Street in Forest Hill early on a Thursday morning.

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According to the police statement released on a Saturday, the suspect defaced the storefront with various posters and writings, leading the coffee shop to temporarily close for an investigation. Photographs from the scene revealed messages such as “blood on your hands” and “free Palestine” among the graffiti.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center CEO Michael Levitt expressed appreciation for the police’s rapid response, thanking them for their efforts in keeping the Jewish community safe in recent weeks. However, despite the involvement of Toronto police’s hate crime unit and Johnson being charged with mischief interfering with the enjoyment of property, the incident is not currently being treated as hate-motivated.

In response to the incident, Starbucks, the Seattle-based coffee giant, finds itself entangled in a broader context. Last month, the company accused a 9,000-member union, Starbucks Workers United, of damaging its brand after expressing pro-Palestinian views following an October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Although the tweet, which read “Solidarity with Palestine,” was taken down within 40 minutes, Starbucks reported over 1,000 complaints, acts of vandalism, and confrontations in its stores.

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Amid ongoing legal disputes between Starbucks and the union, the coffee chain issued a statement expressing its “deepest sympathy” amidst the “escalating violence and hate against the innocent in Israel and Gaza.” The motive behind the vandalism at the Forest Hill Starbucks remains uncertain, adding another layer to the complex dynamics surrounding the intersection of corporate response, free expression, and geopolitical tensions.