Muslim community still reeling after confrontation at pro-Palestinian rally in Victoria

It has been a week since a man drove his vehicle up onto a Victoria sidewalk at a pro-Palestinian rally at the B.C. Legislature, and some in the Muslim community say they are feeling a distinct lack of support.

Shawn Ullah with the National Council of Canadian Muslims says it’s hard not to see Islamophobia as the reason behind the incident, and the entire community is frightened.

Shawn Ullah with the National Council of Canadian Muslims says it’s hard not to see Islamophobia as the reason behind the incident, and the entire community is frightened.

“Had it been a Muslim person driving that car, this would be in Parliament right now,” he said, adding there would have been an outpouring of outrage instead of virtual silence, especially from political leadership. “It would be all over the news other than a tweet from the premier.”

The young man confronted by the driver is a student suffering while trying to prepare for final exams, Ullah says.

“They’re feeling terrified,” he said. “They have had flashbacks when they go out. They worry that they might be attacked again, that this may happen to them again.”

Victoria Police said last week one man was arrested after the confrontation.

Video posted online shows a vehicle driving up onto a sidewalk on Belleville Street, nearly hitting a person as they walk by. The driver is then seen getting out of the vehicle before engaging with one of the protesters, while people in the background yell for him to “back off.”

Content warning: The video embedded in the following social media post includes language some people may find offensive. Discretion is advised.

A VicPD officer soon appears in frame, trying to calm the parties down as people continue to yell from the sidelines.

British Columbia’s human rights commissioner said last month that the Israel-Hamas war had triggered a surge in discrimination and violence toward both Jewish and Muslim people in the province.

-With files from The Canadian Press, Negin Nia, Robyn Crawford, and Dean Recksiedler