Canadian drives into pro-Palestine protester

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
5 Dec 2023 16:50
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A video shared on social media captured the moment when a driver steered his car onto the sidewalk, prompting the protester with a Palestinian flag to move out of the way. Shouts of "Whoa, whoa, whoa" can be heard as barriers on the sidewalk compelled the driver to stop.

This photograph, taken on December 4, shows the man in question being arrested by the police. (@DonaldImages/X)

On Monday, in British Columbia, Canada, a man was apprehended after on the sidewalk, seemingly to ram a pro-Palestinian demonstrator.

A video shared on social media captured the moment when the driver steered his car onto the sidewalk, prompting the protester with a Palestinian flag to move out of the way. Shouts of "Whoa, whoa, whoa" can be heard as barriers on the sidewalk compelled the driver to stop.

After exiting the vehicle, the man engaged in a dispute with another protester and threatened him with physical violence before law enforcement intervened. The individual was subsequently arrested and charged with assault with a weapon and dangerous driving.

I caught this on video today #victoriabc a man trying to run over a #Palestine protester one hr ago@CHEK_News @CTVVancouver @GlobalBC pic.twitter.com/h3ojuHrukm
— Donald smith images (@DonaldImages) December 3, 2023

The occurrence transpired during the "United for Peace: March for Palestine" rally in downtown Victoria, with hundreds of participants.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims emphasized the need for Canadian leaders to address Islamophobia, expressing concern about the escalating violence in the country and urging leaders to counteract this trend.

Palestinian-Canadians getting fired for voicing support for Palestine

In November, an article by CounterPunch published in November detailed some cases where pro-Palestine activists in Canada have suffered the unfair consequence of getting penalized or losing their jobs as a result of voicing their support for Gaza.

Palestinian activist Wesam Khaled was charged a hate crime charge in Calgary for leading a chant perceived as antisemitic. As part of his bail terms, he was barred from attending pro-Palestinian protests.

Mostafa Ezzo, an Air Canada pilot, likewise participated in a pro-Palestinian rally in Montreal, an event that was mischaracterized by politicians as "pro-Hamas," despite its intention to support Palestinians in Gaza. Air Canada took action against Ezzo, grounding him, and condemning his social media commentary.

The cases also shed light on the challenges faced by Palestinian-Canadian journalists, such as Zahraa Al-Akhrass, who was fired by Global News while on maternity leave due to her social media posts expressing opposition to Israeli actions in Gaza.

Yara Jamal, a CTV News reporter, was also dismissed after speaking at a Palestine solidarity march. Her remarks, which criticized the political ideology of Zionism while distinguishing it from Judaism, led to allegations of antisemitism and her termination.