Friday, December 19, 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

Indian-origin man wanted in connection with father's murder in Canada

Indian-origin man wanted in connection with father's murder in Canada
Police are on the lookout for a 22-year-old Indian-origin son, who fled after allegedly murdering his father, at their home in Canada's Ontario province. Sukhaj Cheema-Singh is wanted for first-degree murder after 56-year-old Kuldip Singh was found with 'severe injuries' at his Stoney Creek home in Hamilton on Saturday night.

Indian-origin man wanted in connection with father's murder in Canada

Jordan's King Abdullah II to visit Canada on Wednesday

Jordan's King Abdullah II to visit Canada on Wednesday
The King of Jordan will visit Canada later this week and meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Prime Minister's Office issued a news release Sunday saying King Abdullah II will be in Ottawa on Wednesday.  

Jordan's King Abdullah II to visit Canada on Wednesday

Contract rules disregarded in costly development of ArriveCan app: auditor general

Contract rules disregarded in costly development of ArriveCan app: auditor general
Disregarded policies and a failure of management led to the development of the inordinately costly and much-maligned ArriveCan app, an investigation by Canada's auditor general has found.  The federal government launched the app in April 2020 as a way to track health and contact information for people entering Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to digitize customs and immigration declarations.  

Contract rules disregarded in costly development of ArriveCan app: auditor general

Rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver

Rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver
Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning in Metro Vancouver. It says a moist Pacific frontal system is expected to bring about 55 millimeters of rain starting Sunday and continuing overnight, before easing this morning. 

Rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver

Body found in Burnaby

Body found in Burnaby
Mounties in Burnaby say they have found the body of a 46-year-old man who went missing earlier this month. They say the public appeal for help to find the man was issued on February 1st. The R-C-M-P say investigators do not believe the death is suspicious.

Body found in Burnaby

Former MP Raj Grewal sues for damages following acquittal last year

Former MP Raj Grewal sues for damages following acquittal last year
Former Liberal MP Raj Grewal is seeking millions of dollars in damages from the RCMP and the Ontario attorney general after being acquitted of using his political office for personal gain. In a statement of claim filed in Ontario Superior Court, Grewal's counsel alleges the Mounties were negligent in their investigation and that the Crown breached his right to a fair trial by unreasonably pursuing the prosecution.

Former MP Raj Grewal sues for damages following acquittal last year