Tuesday, June 16, 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

Man dies following a single-car collision in East Vancouver Sunday night

Man dies following a single-car collision in East Vancouver Sunday night
The 65-year-old driver was heading west near Nootka Street and East 6 Avenue, when the Chevrolet Malibu he was driving suddenly veered off the road and struck a pole at about 7:35 p.m. The driver went into medical distress and died after being taken to hospital.

Man dies following a single-car collision in East Vancouver Sunday night

Federal ministers begin three-day cabinet retreat

Federal ministers begin three-day cabinet retreat
Trudeau is fresh off a week of cross-country travel focused on Canada's push to expand its battery and electric-vehicle industries, part of a broader goal to get more competitive on clean technology. Senior Liberals are expected to use the retreat to hammer out political and policy priorities for the months ahead, keeping in mind their confidence-and-supply deal with the NDP.    

Federal ministers begin three-day cabinet retreat

Canada inspires U.S. refugee settlement program

Canada inspires U.S. refugee settlement program
The U.S. describes the program, which will allow ordinary Americans to privately sponsor refugees, as the boldest innovation in refugee resettlement in four decades. They also acknowledge that it borrows heavily from Canada, where citizens have been able to privately help resettle refugees since the 1970s.    

Canada inspires U.S. refugee settlement program

Trudeau questions awarding of ArriveCan contract

Trudeau questions awarding of ArriveCan contract
At a news conference in Toronto, Trudeau says he's asked the clerk of the Privy Council to look at the government's procurement practices to make sure they are getting good value for money. The government mandated the use of the ArriveCan app during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to screen travellers crossing the border into the country.

Trudeau questions awarding of ArriveCan contract

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers tweaks offer for IAA

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers tweaks offer for IAA
The Vancouver-based company also says it plans to pay a special one-time dividend of US$1.08 per share to its own shareholders, contingent on the deal closing. Ritchie Bros. is now offering US$12.80 per share in cash and 0.5252 of a Ritchie Bros. share for each IAA share, making the offer worth about US$44.40 per share based on the company's share price Friday.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers tweaks offer for IAA

One killed in avalanche near Valemount, B.C.

One killed in avalanche near Valemount, B.C.
Avalanche Canada says the snowmobilers were riding at the base of a slope in a feature known as Bowl 3 in the Oasis area when the avalanche happened Saturday morning. One person managed to ride away while the other was fully buried.    

One killed in avalanche near Valemount, B.C.