Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke took a leap into world politics Monday, denouncing Hamas for “their crimes against humanity.”
“The events of the last 10 days have been hard and horrific to watch. The unprovoked and vicious attacks of Oct. 7 on civilian Israelis is an act of pure evil. For their heinous actions Hamas must be held accountable for their crimes against humanity,” Locke said during Monday night’s regular council meeting, Oct. 16.
“The suffering knows no borders – families in Gaza have been put in grave danger as a result of Hamas’ actions. Innocent civilians on both sides are coming under fire and every effort must be made to put them out of harm’s way.”
Locke said she prays for all the innocents caught up in the Israel-Hamas war, “and I hope that Israel can neutralize the Hamas terrorists to bring a rapid end to this war.
“Unfortunately I must also note that we too, right here in Surrey, are not immune to hateful acts. On Friday a rabbi’s home was egged and defaced with a swastika. It is my understanding Surrey RCMP are investigating and I hope that this hate crime will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
This happened in South Surrey early Friday evening, Oct. 13.
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Police said a suspect was seen leaving the area on foot.
The Surrey RCMP General Investigation Unit is investigating and the BC Hate Crimes Unit has been notified.
Police are looking for a man between 25 and 35 years old, slim to medium built, who was wearing a purple coat, white shirt, black “Adidas” sweatpants and brown shoes.
“We recognize that incidents of this nature impact the feeling of safety and security for members of our Jewish community,” Surrey RCMP Corp. Vanessa Munn said. “Hate has no place in our city and our officers are working to identify the person responsible so that they can be held accountable.”
Police ask anyone with information to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if you wish to remain anonymous, by calling 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
