A man accused of driving onto a sidewalk and nearly hitting a 25-year-old UVic student during a pro-Palestine rally at the B.C. legislature is back in custody and has been charged with assault and dangerous driving.
Victoria police said the man is facing one charge of assault with a weapon and another charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
A video of the incident shows a man getting out of a car after driving it onto the sidewalk and telling a protester to “go back to Jordan.”
The man was arrested Dec. 3 shortly after the incident, but later released with a future court date.
Spokesperson Cheryl Major said in a statement the man was re-arrested and put into custody on Thursday.
Police said in a statement they would not be commenting further, as the case is before the courts.
Shawn Ullah, B.C. representatives for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said Victoria’s Muslim community is pleased to hear that the man is back in custody and charges have been laid.
“We were concerned with his release and we are glad to hear that the police are investigating this. Although charges are laid, we would like to see this treated for what it is — a hate-motivated crime,” he said.
In a Monday news conference at the B.C. legislature, Ullah said the incident is one of a string of Islamophobic attacks in the 10 weeks since the Israel-Hamas war began.
“It has been worse for Muslims than it was post- 9/11, an era we had thought to be in the past.”
Hate-motivated incidents toward Muslims reported to his organization spiked by 1,300 per cent just 10 days after the “heinous” Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel, he said.
According to a statement read at the legislature on Monday, the University of Victoria student who narrowly avoided being hit by the car on Dec. 3 moved to Canada to avoid Islamophobia south of the border.
“I have sudden flashbacks of what happened and I can’t help but live in fear,” the statement said. “I cannot help but recall the attack in London, Ontario over two years ago, when four members of the same Muslim family were killed by a white supremacist using his truck. What would have happened if I didn’t get out of the way?”
Police have increased their presence at pro-Palestinian rallies in Victoria since the Dec. 3 incident.
Organizers are planning another rally and march Saturday afternoon starting at the B.C. legislature.
