Vancouver Police probe Oct. 7 rally where 'death to Canada' cry went up

People write in chalk outside of a building during a pro-Palestine rally marking the anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel in Vancouver, on Monday, October 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Vancouver police say they are conducting an investigation into a pro-Palestinian protest marking the Oct. 7 anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel where they say speakers expressed "solidarity with terrorist groups."

Police said in a statement Tuesday that they were looking into whether actions at the previous day's protest represented criminal offences.

The rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery, organized by the group Samidoun, included a masked speaker who told the crowd "we are Hezbollah and we are Hamas," and she also led cries of "death to Canada, death to the United States and death to Israel."

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are listed by Public Safety Canada as terrorist entities.

"We have heard from community members, and others, who are deeply offended," Vancouver police said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The police statement came after political leaders in British Columbia and Ottawa condemned actions at the rally, where Canadian flags were also burned.

Police said the Canadian Charter guarantees everyone "fundamental freedom of expression."

But they said the protesters' actions were found by many in the community to be "intolerable, offensive, and unsafe."

"These acts include people burning a Canadian flag, making inflammatory comments about various nations, including our own, and expressing solidarity with terrorist groups," the statement said.

"Burning materials in any crowded place could damage property or endanger others, and anyone who breaks the law is subject to arrest and charges."

Hundreds applauded the masked speaker at the rally on the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and triggered a war that has left about 41,000 dead in Gaza, according to the health ministry there.

The comments at the protest drew universal condemnation among federal and provincial politicians, with the federal Conservative Party vowing to add Samidoun to the terrorist entities list if it forms the next Canadian government.

"While Jewish Canadians live in fear, terror groups like Samidoun are free to fund raise and support organizations like Hamas and the (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) who seek to kill innocent Jews," federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said in a statement.

"We’ve seen what happens when these groups aren’t taken seriously."

During question period in Parliament Tuesday, Conservative members repeatedly demanded that Samidoun be added to the terrorist list.

"If they took action, they would have listed them already," said Thornhill Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman.

"So, if burning a Canadian flag, if calling for the death of Canadians, if fomenting hate in this country, and most of all being a front for an already-listed terrorist organization is not enough to put them on the list, then what the hell is it going to take for them to ban them?"

Jennifer O'Connell, Parliamentary secretary to the public safety minister, said the government would not follow the Conservatives and "play politics" with the issue.

"When it comes to listing of terrorist entities, the members opposite know full well it is not a political decision," O'Connell said. "It is based on the national security services of this country.

"But it's precisely why the minister had already sent it for an urgent review, understanding that this hate is unacceptable in Canada."

British Columbia NDP Leader David Eby responded in a post on X about the masked woman's speech, saying "this kind of hateful rhetoric is wrong and has no place in our province."

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said in a statement that the behaviour is "completely unacceptable."

Rustad, whose provincial Conservatives are in a contest with Eby's NDP in the upcoming B.C. election on Oct. 19, said in his video statement that his party would "crack down on this type of hate" if elected.

Eby said in his post that the province's people "stand together against violence — and the glorification of it. And we strive for peace."

Samidoun director Charlotte Kates was arrested by Vancouver Police last year in a hate-crime investigation, then released on an undertaking to appear in court on Tuesday, but no appearance had been scheduled.

Kates was arrested after praising the Oct. 7 attack as "heroic and brave" in a speech at a rally.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver said in a statement that the conditions of her release had expired because the Crown had yet to file charges against her after her arrest on May 1.

Ezra Shanken, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, said this was unacceptable.

“In the year since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, the Jewish community has experienced an escalation in antisemitic hate incidents, including at protests such as those organized by Kates," he said.

"The expiration of her conditions of release will allow her to continue to incite hate and division against the local Jewish community. If we value respect, inclusion, and diversity, the Crown must approve and lay the charges recommended by (Vancouver Police.)”

The B.C. Prosecution Service said the charge assessment process was ongoing and no timeline for its completion was available. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.