A man has been charged for allegedly accelerating his car at a Palestine peace march demonstrator in Victoria earlier this month.
The man faces one count of assault with a weapon and one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, Victoria police said on Friday. The man is currently in custody after he was arrested on Dec. 3, and subsequently released.
His charges stem from an incident at the B.C. legislature that coincided with an event called Unite for Peace: March for Palestine. Police said the man drove onto the sidewalk as he accelerated his vehicle at a demonstrator, nearly striking the pedestrian.
Videos of the incident posted online show a grey Nissan sedan accelerate at a person walking on the sidewalk beside the protective bollards on the B.C. legislature’s grounds.
A man was arrested at the B.C. legislature on Dec. 3 after he accelerated his car at a Palestine march demonstrator, who was walking on the sidewalk at the time and narrowly evaded the vehicle as it sped toward them. #yyj pic.twitter.com/VFdFz7kZHQ
— Victoria News (@VictoriaNews) December 4, 2023
In the video posted on social media, the driver is also seen getting out of his car and approaching another attendee of the demonstration who was watching the situation unfold.
“From the river to the sea eh, that’s what they said since ‘48,” the driver is heard saying in the face of the onlooker, who responded with “and.”
“So when are you going to get the f***in reality and go back to Jordan,” the driver continued.
A uniformed protective services staff member then steps into the frame. The demonstrator then tells the protective services officer that the driver tried to attack them and the driver responds by yelling “this guy is a terrorist organization supporter.”
The National Council of Canadian Muslims said it was deeply concerned by the incident.
“This is the kind of apparent violence we have seen increase across this country. It is reprehensible, and our leaders must step up to stem this tide of hate,” the organization said in a social media post at the time.
Saying the driver accosted the march attendee with a “racist tirade,” the National Council added that Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism have no place in Canada.
READ: Man arrested for accelerating his car at Palestine demonstrator in Victoria