Ottawa Police Probe Chant on Parliament Hill Praising Hamas Attack on Oct. 7
Ottawa police are investigating an allegation of hate speech stemming from a weekend protest on Parliament Hill.
Complaints were received regarding comments made during a pro-Palestinian demonstration on April 20 concerning the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The protest involved individuals displaying Palestinian flags and signs calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
A video circulating online features a man praising the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and its affiliates that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people in Israel.
The police’s hate crime unit has launched an investigation into the matter.
Threats of violence and other illegal actions are not protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre have both denounced the celebration of the Oct. 7 attacks.
A man can be heard in the protest video saying, “Our resistance attacks are proof that we are almost free. Oct. 7 is proof that we are almost free. Long live Oct. 7, long live the resistance, long live the intifada, long live every form of resistance.”
Intifada, an Arabic term meaning to shake off oppression, is often associated with periods of heightened conflict in Israel-Palestine history, marked by violent attacks by Palestinian groups within Israel.
“There is a distinction between peaceful protest and hateful intimidation,” wrote Mr. Trudeau on Sunday.
“Glorifying the antisemitic violence and murders committed by Hamas on October 7th is unacceptable. This kind of rhetoric has no place in Canada. None.”
Mr. Poilievre also condemned the messages displayed on April 20 as “malicious,” calling out the “pro-genocide, antisemitic chants” present at the protest.
