B.C. man charged with antisemitic hate crime after 2024 incident at Victoria protest

VICTORIA — A 28-year-old man who allegedly made antisemitic remarks at Jewish protesters in Victoria more than a year ago has been charged with a hate-motivated offence.

Victoria police say Khalid El Boyok is facing a charge of public incitement of hatred and was arrested on June 11.

The arrest stems from a March 2024 incident on the lawn of the B.C. Legislature where the remarks were allegedly directed at a group of Jewish protesters.

Police say its major crimes unit forwarded their findings to the BC Prosecution Service, which approved the charge leading to the suspect’s arrest on June 11.

Victoria police say the “prolonged nature” of the investigation reflects both the seriousness of the type of offence and the “complex nature” of proving offences related to hate propaganda.

They say in a release to while the term “hate crime” does not appear in the Criminal Code, it usually refers to hate-propaganda offences and hate-motivated offences.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.