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A 44-year-old Vancouver woman made comments praising the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and referring to terrorist organizations as ‘heroes,’ says the VPD
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Police have arrested a 44-year-old Vancouver woman for allegedly making comments amounting to a hate crime at a pro-Palestine protest at the Vancouver Art Gallery over the weekend.
VPD spokesman Sgt. Steve Addison said a criminal investigation was opened Sunday based on what was said at the gathering.
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“We defend everyone’s right to gather and express their opinions, even when those opinions are unpopular or controversial,” said Addison. “We also have a responsibility to ensure public comments don’t promote or incite hatred, encourage violence or make people feel unsafe.”
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Video of the incendiary speech has circulated widely on social media, with many saying it calls for a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea” and in explicitly praising the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, were direct threats to Israel and Jews.
The woman, speaking into a microphone on the gallery steps in front of several hundred protesters, “referred to a number of terrorist organizations as heroes,” said Addison in a statement released Wednesday.
“Portions of the video have been widely shared on social media, and viewed several hundred thousand times,” he said.
Investigators identified the speaker at the protest and she has been released as the investigation continues, Addison added.
“We will continue to thoroughly investigate every hate incident and will pursue criminal charges whenever there is evidence of a hate crime.”
Addison said evidence will be presented to prosecutors for assessment once the probe is concluded.
The Sunday protest was followed by a camp being set up at the University of B.C. on Monday, where about 20 tents were set up on MacInnes Field along with Palestinian flags and pro-Palestine placards denouncing Israel.
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B.C. Premier David Eby called on UBC and student leaders to balance free speech with people’s personal safety.
Eby and other politicians have denounced the event, where protesters were heard chanting “long live Oct. 7,” calling praise for the attack, which killed about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, “the most hateful” he could imagine.
“Celebrating the murder, the rape of innocent people attending a music festival, it’s awful,” Eby said at a news conference on Monday.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim also took issue with the demonstration, calling it a “celebration of terrorism and antisemitism,” as did Vancouver Granville MP Taleeb Noormohamed and B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon.
Pro-Palestine protesters have frequently denounced Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza, which has led to over 34,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the local health ministry.
With files from The Canadian Press
jruttle@postmedia.com
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