A 27-year-old man is facing criminal charges in an assault at an Israel-Hamas war protest in Thornhill last Sunday that police say was motivated by hate.
"Hate has been determined to have been a motivating factor following an assault at an Israel-Hamas war demonstration that resulted in a man being charged criminally," York Regional Police said in a news release today.
Several witnesses told police that a man had stopped his vehicle near pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Clark Avenue West and South Promenade at about 9:45 a.m. and "began shouting hateful obscenities ... while becoming confrontational with three of the protesters."
As the incident escalated, a man discharged a nail gun, however, no one was injured, police said.
A suspect was quickly identified and was charged the same day, police said.
The York Regional Police hate crime prevention unit determined hate was a motivating factor in the incident. Should the accused be found guilty of the offences, the hate-motivated aggravating factors will be presented in court at sentencing, police said.
Ilan-Reuben Abramov, 27, of Vaughan is charged with possess weapons dangerous to the public, assault with a weapon, assault (two counts) and mischief.
Any witnesses who have not yet spoken to investigators are urged to come forward as soon as possible, along with anyone who has video footage, including dashcam, cellphone, or security recordings from the area around the time of the incident. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7441, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, or leave an anonymous tip online.
