Monday, June 15, 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

Groundhog Day: Fred la Marmotte dead

Groundhog Day: Fred la Marmotte dead
According to folklore, if a groundhog sees its shadow on Groundhog Day, winter will drag on. However, if it doesn't spot its shadow, spring-like weather will soon arrive. Folklorists say the Groundhog Day ritual may have something to do with Feb. 2 landing midway between winter solstice and spring equinox, but no one knows for sure.   

Groundhog Day: Fred la Marmotte dead

Family reacts as Mounties face Manslaughter charge

Family reacts as Mounties face Manslaughter charge
The civil liberties association statement says although the independent review in 2019 found "reasonable grounds" to believe two officers may have committed offences related to use of force, and three others may have obstructed justice, the Crown was not handed a final report until 2020, and charge approval took nearly three more years.

Family reacts as Mounties face Manslaughter charge

Manslaughter charge against two B.C. RCMP officers

Manslaughter charge against two B.C. RCMP officers
Sgt. Jon Eusebio Cruz, and constables Arthur Dalman and Clarence MacDonald are accused of attempting to obstruct justice. RCMP said at the time of the arrest that 35-year-old Arthur Dale Culver appeared to have trouble breathing before he died in while in police custody.

Manslaughter charge against two B.C. RCMP officers

B.C. family doctor payment model takes effect

B.C. family doctor payment model takes effect
Adrian Dix says that number reflects doctors who signed up in advance or within hours of its launch, and he expects it to grow "dramatically." He says the model, developed by the province and Doctors of BC, aims to attract doctors to family practice and keep them there by addressing challenges that arise in the existing fee-for-service system.

B.C. family doctor payment model takes effect

Komagata Maru memorial in Canada vandalised for third time

Komagata Maru memorial in Canada vandalised for third time
The memorial honours 376 Indians, including Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus, who sailed to Canada from India in 1914, but were turned away by the country, which left them stuck on the ship for two months with dire conditions.

Komagata Maru memorial in Canada vandalised for third time

Canada's new anti-Islamophobia rep says sorry

Canada's new anti-Islamophobia rep says sorry
The column, co-written with former Canadian Jewish Congress CEO Bernie Farber, cited polling data to say that "a majority of Quebecers" who supported Bill 21 also held anti-Muslim views. Farber and Elghawaby, a journalist and human-rights activist, were board members with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network at the time.

Canada's new anti-Islamophobia rep says sorry