Ottawa woman says she no longer feels safe after hijab pulled at Israel flag raising
CTV
The Ottawa Police Service says its hate crime unit is investigating a reported hijab-pulling incident at a flag-raising ceremony for Israel’s Independence Day in front of city hall earlier this week.
The Ottawa Police Service says its hate crime unit is investigating after a woman reported her hijab being pulled at a flag-raising ceremony for Israel’s Independence Day earlier this week.
Hayfa Abdelkhaleq fought back tears as she recalled the altercation, where she was protesting the ceremony in front of city hall. She identified herself to CTV News as the woman in the incident that was caught on video and circulated online.
"I can’t sleep," Abdelkhaleq said. "You know when someone attacks your dignity. This is how I felt."
In the blurred video, Abdelkhaleq can be seen holding a large Palestinian flag when someone walks up behind her, giving the camera the middle finger before pulling off her hijab.
"This is assault, this is not right," she said.
"As soon as I raised the flag and said 'From the river to the sea,' what does she do? I’m not going to forget what she did to me and I will fight until I find her."
Groups of protesters gathered at Ottawa's city hall on Tuesday to both celebrate and condemn the raising of the Israeli flag. Flags of nations with which Canada has diplomatic relations are regularly raised at city hall for national days and other events, but pro-Palestinian groups demanded this year to cancel the Israeli flag raising because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
