Charges laid after synagogue attacks
York Region Police have charged three people after pro Palestinian protesters were allegedly attacked and threatened at a Thursday demonstration outside a synagogue.
A 48-year-old Vaughan woman has been charged with assault with a weapon for allegedly attacking a protester with coyote spray. A 32-year-old Vaughan man has been charged with assault for hitting a demonstrator. And a 40-year-old Markham man has been charged with possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Police said he was carrying a knife at the protest.
Protesters picketed Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (BAYT) synagogue Thursday, as it hosted a real-estate event that promoted the sale of land in West Bank settlements. Canada and the international community at large consider the settlements illegal and an impediment to the peace process. Israel approves of the settlements.
In an interview with the Star on Friday, Rabbi Daniel Korobkin of BAYT synagogue said he wasn’t aware that West Bank land was part of the presentation until social media campaigns from protesters pointed it out. But, after finding out, he said, “it didn’t particularly bother” him.
York police also said Friday that hate was a “motivating factor” in the alleged assault with a weapon on pro-Palestinian protesters at another synagogue demonstration Sunday.
In a media release, police said several witnesses have said the accused shouted “hateful obscenities” at protesters before “becoming confrontational.”
In videos circulating on social media, a man approaches protesters aiming what appears to be a nail gun at them, yelling “Every Palestinian will die.” Protesters say he shot the nail gun at them.
Protesters had been picketing the synagogue in Thornhill while it was also hosting an Israeli real-estate presentation.
Unlike the presentation Thursday, there was no indication the event Sunday was listing land in the West Bank settlements. Synagogue leadership and event organizers have denied marketing properties in the West Bank.
Stemming from the Sunday incident, a man has been charged with possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, three counts of assault, including one count of assault with a weapon, and mischief.
“Hate-motivation” being applied to a charge can affect sentencing. Should the man be found guilty, hate could be considered as an “aggravating factor,” or evidence that supports a harsher penalty, when the court imposes a sentence.