Thursday, December 18, 2025
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

Veteran B.C. politician Mike de Jong to leave legislature, mulls federal run

Veteran B.C. politician Mike de Jong to leave legislature, mulls federal run
Veteran British Columbia politician Mike de Jong has announced he will leave the legislature after a 30-year career in government and opposition. De Jong, who was first elected as a B.C. Liberal in a Fraser Valley byelection in 1994, says the time has come to leave the provincial legislature, but it may not be the end of his days in politics.

Veteran B.C. politician Mike de Jong to leave legislature, mulls federal run

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Whistler, B.C., for Invictus Games training camp

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Whistler, B.C., for Invictus Games training camp
The purpose of this week's training camp is to support nations taking part in the Games to build year-round adaptive sports programs. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are scheduled to join the participants during some of the events at the camp today and Thursday in Whistler and on Friday in Vancouver.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Whistler, B.C., for Invictus Games training camp

Arrest of Surrey man in Winnipeg

Arrest of Surrey man in Winnipeg
Mounties in Surrey say a man wanted for nearly a year on kidnapping and other charges has been arrested in Winnipeg.  Surrey R-C-M-P say they had a warrant from February last year against 49-year-old Fabian Yul Brown, who was wanted for a number of charges including assault, unlawful confinement, uttering threats, break and enter, fraud and possession of stolen property.  

Arrest of Surrey man in Winnipeg

BC Real Estate Association numbers point to market 'uptrend' at beginning of 2024

BC Real Estate Association numbers point to market 'uptrend' at beginning of 2024
The BC Real Estate Association says there was a nearly 30 per cent increase in home sales last month compared with January 2023, while prices were also up.  The association says 3,979 sales were completed last month, for an average price of $957,909, a more than 10-per-cent jump from the year before.

BC Real Estate Association numbers point to market 'uptrend' at beginning of 2024

B.C. report says climate change brings health risk, as doctor fears 'colossal harms'

B.C. report says climate change brings health risk, as doctor fears 'colossal harms'
Communities across British Columbia needs to prepare for a climate-related health crisis like the deadly 2021 heat dome every year, according to the lead contributor to a report on health risks associated with climate change. Dr. Michael Schwandt, a medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health, said the region needs to increase its resilience to extreme heat events, and risks "colossal harms" if it doesn't.

B.C. report says climate change brings health risk, as doctor fears 'colossal harms'

Protest outside Mount Sinai Hospital 'reprehensible' show of antisemitism: Trudeau

Protest outside Mount Sinai Hospital 'reprehensible' show of antisemitism: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is denouncing a protest outside a Toronto hospital as a "reprehensible" display of antisemitism as police say they are investigating several incidents that took place during the demonstration.

Protest outside Mount Sinai Hospital 'reprehensible' show of antisemitism: Trudeau