Wednesday, May 20, 2026
ADVT 
National

Eby deplores 'most hateful' speech praising Hamas attack, as UBC protest camp begins

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Apr, 2024 03:21 PM
  • Eby deplores 'most hateful' speech praising Hamas attack, as UBC protest camp begins

Charlotte Kates of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network told the rally outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on Friday that the attack was "heroic and brave." 

Eby said the comments about the attack, that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were "the most hateful" he could imagine.

"Celebrating the murder, the rape of innocent people attending a music festival, it's awful," Eby said at an unrelated news conference on Monday. 

"It's reprehensible, and it shouldn't take place in British Columbia. There is clearly an element of some individuals using an international tragedy to promote hate that's completely unacceptable."

Kates and Samidoun did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Eby also remarked on an encampment by pro-Palestinian protesters that began at the University of B.C. on Monday. 

Similar camps have appeared on campuses across the United States, as well as at McGill University in Montreal and the University of Ottawa.

At McGill, activists have set up dozens of tents. The university said Monday morning it had seen video evidence of some protesters using "unequivocally antisemitic language and intimidating behaviour" during the protest.

The UBC camp included about 20 tents on MacInnes Field by noon Monday.

Eby said a university campus, while a protected space for free speech, should foster a safe space for students of all backgrounds, especially for Jewish students during a time they feel "particularly alone on campuses and need additional support to feel safe."

"I have no reason to doubt that the leadership, both student and administration, at UBC will find that balance between ensuring students are safe and making sure that atmosphere of free exchange of ideas can continue to take place on campus."

In a series of messages posted on social media platform X, UBC protest organizers have asked supporters to bring tents and sandbags, as well as food, water, first aid and generators.

Naisha Khan, a spokeswoman for the protest camp, said tents started going up at 5 a.m. Monday, with attendees from UBC, Simon Fraser University and Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

Khan said they wouldn't leave until UBC supported the Palestinian right to "resistance," and the right of return to what is now Israel.

In a written response, UBC spokesman Matthew Ramsey said the school is monitoring the situation and keeping in contact with the RCMP.

Protests must "be taken with respect for others and within the boundaries of university policy and the law," he said.

"We also remind everyone that hate and intolerance have no place at UBC," Ramsey said. "The university must be a place of reasoned debate where conflicting views can peacefully coexist."

Before Eby, the Vancouver Art Gallery rally had drawn condemnation from Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, who called it a "celebration of terrorism and antisemitism."

Sim said in a post on X on Sunday that people who "spew this vile hatred" were not welcome in the city.

Liberal member for Vancouver Granville Taleeb Noormohamed said on X that "glorifying Oct. 7 is unacceptable" and "does nothing to promote peace," while B.C. Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon called the speech a "celebration of the heinous murder of Jews."

MORE National ARTICLES

Appeal dismissal for 3 pot log smugglers

Appeal dismissal for 3 pot log smugglers
Three men accused of trying to smuggle more than 300 kilograms of pot into California in hollowed-out logs will not be allowed to appeal their case to the Supreme Court of Canada. Todd Ferguson, Daniel Joinson and Shane Fraser were arrested after the doctored logs were identified at a log home manufacturing company in California in 2006.

Appeal dismissal for 3 pot log smugglers

Large fentanyl bust in Mission

Large fentanyl bust in Mission
A call to Mission R-C-M-P about shots fired in the Hatzic Valley has resulted in the dismantling of a large fentanyl operation. Police say they were called in October to a report of gunshots heard and when they arrived they found several spent bullet casings, but confirmed no one on the property was injured. 

Large fentanyl bust in Mission

Woman charged with loansharking

Woman charged with loansharking
B-C’s gang squad says it has secured charges, including loansharking and money laundering, against a 35-year-old woman. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says it began an investigation in 2019 into allegations related to criminal interest rates and illegal operation of a money service business. 

Woman charged with loansharking

Morning fire at Surrey school

Morning fire at Surrey school
An early morning fire has shut down an elementary school in the Metro Vancouver municipality of Surrey. Surrey Fire Services say the fire, which has been knocked down, left some damage to the school’s walls but caused no injuries.

Morning fire at Surrey school

PM urged to back off digital tax before White House hemispheric trade summit Friday

PM urged to back off digital tax before White House hemispheric trade summit Friday
Business leaders are seizing on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's trip to Washington on Friday to urge him to delay a controversial tax aimed at foreign tech firms that cater to Canadian audiences. The digital services tax, which takes effect in January, is deeply unpopular with Canada's most important ally and trading partner, says Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada. 

PM urged to back off digital tax before White House hemispheric trade summit Friday

Canadian man in Gaza says Ottawa has asked him to be prepared to leave with family

Canadian man in Gaza says Ottawa has asked him to be prepared to leave with family
A Canadian man trying to get out of Gaza with his family says Global Affairs Canada has asked him to gather his documents and be prepared to leave at any moment through the enclave's border crossing with Egypt. An apparent agreement on Wednesday allowed hundreds of foreign passport holders and dozens of wounded Palestinians to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing for the first time since the war began. 

Canadian man in Gaza says Ottawa has asked him to be prepared to leave with family