Thursday November 16, 2023 | VICTORIA, BC
Political analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends | POLITICAL NEWS SECTION
BC Premier David Eby has posted a statement about how people in British Columbia can come together to support toward peace in the world, specifically right now in the Middle East:
“British Columbians are feeling shaken and heartbroken by the war in the Middle East. Human life is sacred. Peace is essential. We have seen a deeply troubling increase in acts of hate and racism in BC. We have to be there for each other and stand together against all forms of hate,” said Premier David Eby, as posted in social media, with an audio clip of his statement from the BC cabinet office in Vancouver.
Two days ago in Vancouver, about 250 protesters formed a mob to challenge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outside a Vancouver restaurant where he was having a private dinner. That was in response to Trudeau earlier in the day saying that Israel should show restraint as their military works to root out the terrorist group Hamas from the Palestinian area called Gaza.
Hamas is *not* the government in Gaza. They are a terrorist group that has infiltrated and embedded themselves into the Palestinian region, using the local civilian population as human shields.
Trudeau’s remarks on Tuesday afternoon when making a battery-technology announcement in Maple Ridge were what seemed to have sparked the so-called pro-Palestinian outrage (folks who don’t want violence to continue in Gaza, but may not realize they are supporting Hamas by way of these protests).
Peaceful protest and mob attacks are two different things. Hence Eby’s statement to help calm things down.
BC has — for several years now — worked on the anti-racism challenge in various ways. This summer and fall, a demographic survey was conducted to learn more about the racial demographic in households and communities across the province.