The Vancouver police arrested an anti-Israel protestor after she allegedly attacked a Jewish woman during a pro-Hamas and Hezbollah rally at the city’s art gallery.
According to a release by the Vancouver police, an arrest was made Sunday night at a rally outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery after a 34-year-old Jewish woman was allegedly knocked to the ground, assaulted and “subjected to anti-semitic slurs.”
“Vancouver Police deployed officers to Robson Square and the Vancouver Art Gallery just after 7 p.m. Sunday night, when violence broke out between groups of protesters with opposing views about the war between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah,” the report said.
Hezbollah, Hamas and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the latter of which wasn’t named, are all designated terrorist entities by Public Safety Canada.
“We don’t expect everyone to agree, but we do expect them to treat each other with dignity and respect,” Sergeant Steve Addison said in the report. “Violence, hatred, and intimidation have no place in Vancouver, and the VPD will do everything in its power to solve crimes and apprehend offenders so that people can be safe in their community.”
Police said the victim required medical attention at the hospital following the attack.
“The suspect fled into the crowd following the assault, and a youth was later arrested by Vancouver Police,” it said. “Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
The suspect has been released while investigators from VPD’s Major Crime Section complete the investigation.”
Samidoun, an organization with non-profit status in Canada, a self-described Palestinian prisoner advocacy group, organized the protest.
All out for Lebnan and Falastin at 6:30 pm at the Vancouver Art Gallery,” the group said calling for supporters to join the protest. “One struggle. One people. One fight. Together till liberation.”
In a post directly proceeding the call to action, the group glorified the “martyrdom” of the recently eliminated Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Samidoun’s Vancouver branch called him “a great international revolutionary leader of our era.”
The Government of Canada has faced repeated calls to ban Samidoun from receiving tax-exempt status in Canada for years by Jewish community groups such as the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and B’nai Brith Canada.
At the end of August, True North reported several instances of the organization’s open support for terrorist groups during that week. A representative from CIJA told True North that month the organization “brags” about using Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine materials in its seminars.
The PFLP is also designated as a terror group in Canada.
In a joint statement by CIJA, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, and FSWC, the Jewish community renewed calls to ban Samidoun’s operations in Canada under Section 83.05 (1) (b) of the Criminal Code of Canada, which states that an entity that knowingly acts on behalf of or at the direction of an associate terrorist entity should also be designated as such.
“Our community is relieved that the young woman is recovering from her injuries. No one should face violence because of their identity, but this threat is a sad reality our community faces daily,” the joint statement said.
The Jewish community groups said the alleged attacker screamed “F*&%ing Jew” at the young Jewish woman while the incident took place. The groups expressed gratitude for the Vancouver police making an arrest and the subsequent hate crime investigation underway.”
“What is clear is that allowing protests where hate is preached freely to continue without intervention will lead to more violent attacks,” the groups said. “We call on our provincial and federal governments to ban Samidoun and immediately add it to the list of terrorist entities.”
