Calgary police charge one in weekend protest
Posted Nov 7, 2023 3:10 pm.
Calgary police say one man has been charged in connection to a protest downtown on the weekend.
On Sunday, Nov. 5 around p.m., investigators say two groups of protestors gathered at Calgary City Hall on Macleod Trail SE to show support for Palestine and Israel amid the war in the Middle East.
After consulting with CPS’ hate crime co-ordinator, police have charged a man with causing a disturbance, and hate motivation has been applied to the charge.
Police say the diversity resource team and the public safety unit met with members of both groups involved in the protest to ensure the safety of participants, the public, and attending officers.
Investigators say the language and signage seen at past protests was also discussed with the organizers.
According to police, during the protest, a man took to the stage to speak to the large crowd.
While using a P.A. system, he mentioned the conversations had with police before proceeding to repeatedly use an anti-Semitic phrase while encouraging the crowd to follow along.
Wesam Cooley, 32, of Calgary, is set to appear in court on Dec. 12.
Police say hate speech, as defined in the Criminal Code, is complex, and several contextual factors must be considered before charges can be laid.
They said officers work closely with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service to review any potential hate crime behaviour at the protests to determine if those thresholds have been met.
“We will continue to police behaviours, not beliefs,” the CPS says.
