Ottawa police recently charged a 74-year-old woman with a hate crime for pulling a hijab at City Hall during a protest against the raising of the Israeli flag. The incident, captured in a video circulating on social media, involved the woman making indecent gestures before pulling down the hijab of a protester waving a Palestinian flag. The victim, Hayfa Abdelkhaleq, expressed feeling unsafe in Ottawa after the attack on her dignity.
Authorities identified the perpetrator and charged her with assault, mischief, and harassment. Despite the incident, the city proceeded with the flag raising but canceled the public ceremony. Subsequently, Jewish groups arranged a private ceremony at City Hall with heightened security measures in place.