Sunday, May 24, 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

Youth arrested for bear-spray attack on Sikh teen in Kelowna, B.C.: RCMP

Youth arrested for bear-spray attack on Sikh teen in Kelowna, B.C.: RCMP
RCMP say they've arrested a youth after a bear-spray attack on a Sikh teenager who was riding a bus in Kelowna, B.C. Corp. Michael Gauthier with Kelowna RCMP says in a statement that video shows the suspect assaulting and spraying the victim during an attack that took place both on and off a B.C. Transit bus on Monday.

Youth arrested for bear-spray attack on Sikh teen in Kelowna, B.C.: RCMP

Trudeau in New York next week to talk climate, development at UN General Assembly

Trudeau in New York next week to talk climate, development at UN General Assembly
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to New York next week to take part in the 78th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.  The Prime Minister's Office confirmed today that Trudeau will be at the UN Sept. 19-21, with the climate crisis and sustainable development at the top of his agenda. 

Trudeau in New York next week to talk climate, development at UN General Assembly

BC crime data can be accessed online

BC crime data can be accessed online
Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam residents can now access police data about crime in their cities online. The Coquitlam R-C-M-P says it has launched its new property crime dashboard, allowing members of the public to explore crimes reported in the cities on an interactive map tool. 

BC crime data can be accessed online

Ibrahim Ali trial

Ibrahim Ali trial
An RCMP expert testifying at Ibrahim Ali's murder trial said the first DNA evidence linking the accused to the killing of a 13-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C., came from a discarded cigarette butt. Christine Crossman says Ali's DNA from the cigarette was then matched to the DNA recovered from the body of the girl who was found dead in Burnaby's Central Park six years ago.

Ibrahim Ali trial

Man walked naked out of shower, found Mountie in his bedroom: lawsuit

Man walked naked out of shower, found Mountie in his bedroom: lawsuit
A British Columbia man who is suing the RCMP claims he walked naked out of his shower to find a female uniformed Mountie standing in his bedroom. Kirk Forbes says the encounter in his Coquitlam home in June 2022 left him "shocked, confused and embarrassed."  

Man walked naked out of shower, found Mountie in his bedroom: lawsuit

Small plane with engine failure makes emergency landing on highway near Salmo, B.C.

Small plane with engine failure makes emergency landing on highway near Salmo, B.C.
Mounties in southeastern British Columbia say the pilot of a small plane used Highway 6 as a runway after experiencing engine trouble.  Police say a member of the public informed them on Tuesday that the plane was parked on the side of the highway, near Salmo.  

Small plane with engine failure makes emergency landing on highway near Salmo, B.C.