A man from Toronto has been charged after assaulting an individual who was placing pro-Israeli posters(opens in a new tab) on poles.
The incident reportedly took place in the area of Yonge Street and Empress Avenue of North York on Nov. 2., according to Toronto police.
Investigators allege that the victim was affixing pro-Israeli posters to poles when the accused approached and “engaged in a verbal dispute.”
The accused began tearing the posters down and the victim attempted to block him, police said
The victim was then allegedly assaulted by the man. They did not sustain physical injuries.
Following the altercation, the victim went to Toronto police’s 32 Division to report the alleged assault.
An investigation by Toronto police’s Hate Crime Unit led to the arrest of a suspect identified as Omar Elkhodary. He was charged with one count of assault.
The 32-year-old accused is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Toronto on Jan. 9.
The service underlined in its release that consent must be obtained from the Attorney General to lay a charge of hate speech in Ontario. If applicable, such charges are often laid at a later time, they said.