College instructor who praised Hamas at Vancouver rally placed on leave

A Vancouver college instructor who made comments celebrating Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel during a pro-Palestinian rally last weekend has been placed on leave from her job.

Langara College issued a statement Tuesday evening confirming that English instructor Natalie Knight is on leave, though the college did not refer to her by name.

"We are aware that a Langara employee shared their personal views during a public event in Vancouver, which has been shared on social media and addressed through news reports," the statement reads.

"These views do not represent those of the college and while the matter is under investigation, the employee is currently on leave."

Speaking at a rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Saturday, Knight referred to the Hamas attack – which left more than 1,400 Israelis dead and hundreds more kidnapped, and began the latest war between the two sides, which has killed thousands more – as "the amazing, brilliant offensive waged on Oct. 7."

The comment, which drew cheers from the crowd, horrified the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, which is calling for Langara to cut all ties with Knight and condemn her remarks.

“For somebody to mischaracterize the massacre of innocent men, women and children by a Canadian-designated terrorist group Hamas as brilliant and amazing is incredibly painful for community members to hear,” said Ezra Shanken, speaking to CTV News earlier this week. 

In its statement Tuesday, Langara said it is "deeply saddened at the continuing violence and tragic loss of life in the Middle East."

"We grieve for the innocent victims and their families, and all those suffering from the escalation of violence," the college said. "There is no place for any form of hatred in our community, and we will continue to support our students, staff, and faculty who are affected by these events."

The statement went on to ask for "patience and understanding" as the college investigates Knight and her remarks, calling the situation "a confidential process."

"We are conscious that this has greatly impacted our community," the college said. "We want to reassure our community that the college’s commitment to building and protecting an inclusive and welcoming environment is unwavering."

As of Wednesday, more than 8,700 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its war on Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks. That figure comes from the Palestinian Health Ministry, which is based in and funded by the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, though its Gaza offices are run by Hamas.

U.S. authorities have cast doubt on the ministry's casualty figures, but the UN and other international agencies have found them to be reliable during previous conflicts. The Associated Press has more information on how the Gaza death toll is gathered. 

The ministry says more than 22,000 have been wounded, and that most of the deceased are women and minors, according to The Associated Press. The ministry does not provide a breakdown between civilian and combatant deaths. 

The figure is without precedent in decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas' initial attack, also an unprecedented figure. Palestinian militants also abducted around 240 people during their incursion and have continued firing rockets into Israel.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Shannon Paterson and The Associated Press