Saturday, June 6, 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

B.C. police say remains of Madison Scott, last seen in 2011, have been found

B.C. police say remains of Madison Scott, last seen in 2011, have been found
Police have said she was 20 years old when she was last seen early in the morning of May 28, 2011. She had been at a party celebrating a friend's birthday at Hogsback Lake outside Vanderhoof, in central B.C. 

B.C. police say remains of Madison Scott, last seen in 2011, have been found

Province's minimum wage going up on June 1

Province's minimum wage going up on June 1
B-C's minimum wage will jump by one-dollar-and-10-cents per hour before the end of this week. The boost to the general minimum wage will increase it to 16-dollars-and-75-cents per hour on June 1st -- up from the current rate of 15-dollars-and-65-cents.

Province's minimum wage going up on June 1

Man pleads guilty to murder, assault in B.C. library stabbing spree

Man pleads guilty to murder, assault in B.C. library stabbing spree
Yannick Bandaogo pleaded guilty in a New Westminster, B.C., court to second-degree murder, several charges of attempted murder and one count of aggravated assault. Bandaogo was arrested shortly after the attack in March 2021 near the library where a woman was killed and six other people were hurt. 

Man pleads guilty to murder, assault in B.C. library stabbing spree

VPD searches for missing man Suleiman Khawar

VPD searches for missing man Suleiman Khawar
Suleiman is South Asian, 6 feet tall, and has a slim build. He has short black hair and a black beard with a mustache. He was last seen wearing a blue button-down shirt over a white t-shirt, black jeans and black shoes with white soles.

VPD searches for missing man Suleiman Khawar

Early snowmelt in Western mountains means drier summers, more wildfire risk: study

Early snowmelt in Western mountains means drier summers, more wildfire risk: study
Snowmelt serves as the primary water resource in western mountain regions, the study says. The ranges store snow throughout the winter, which then melts during spring and summer months when demand for water peaks.

Early snowmelt in Western mountains means drier summers, more wildfire risk: study

Man and woman charged in shooting death of Abbotsford man last year

Man and woman charged in shooting death of Abbotsford man last year
A statement from police says a 22-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were arrested Friday and charged in the death of 41-year-old Chad Colivas. The man has been charged with second degree murder, while the woman has been charged with manslaughter in the March 2022 shooting death.

Man and woman charged in shooting death of Abbotsford man last year