The latest victims of hate crimes can be linked to wars, restrictive gender polices, or whatever’s topical, said an Alberta RCMP expert, at the CommuUnity Power of One event in Red Deer on Tuesday.
The war in Gaza will prompt more backlash against Jewish people or Muslims, for instance, said Alberta RCMP hate crimes co-ordinator Corp. Mohamad Khaled. He noted, in 2020, people of Asian background were targeted for hatred when China was blamed for the COVID pandemic.
Meanwhile, more recent news stories about Alberta’s proposed restrictive policies on pronouns and gender reassignment surgery — or about a town that has banned Pride flags — can result in higher incidents of hatred towards the gay and queer community, he added.
Khaled said Alberta RCMP officers will investigate all reports of hate crimes and will lay charges when there’s evidence of assault, threats, or vandalism involving hateful slogans or swastikas.
Acting against racism or homophobia “is close to my heart,” added the Syrian-born police officer, who has personally felt the sting of racist insults — as have members of his family.
Khaled told about 200 people at the conference at the Baymont Inn, about how discrimination can degrade a person’s sense of belonging, causing shame and psychological trauma. “When you target someone for who they are, it can be extremely hurtful,” leaving the person feeling like a devalued outsider, he said.
There are complex reasons for some people acting out on their distrust of strangers. Khaled said the strength of our economy, the political climate, and domestic and international conflicts can all be factors — and some political leaders are good at fanning the flames of intolerance.
Research indicates that fear is what underlies hate, he added.
Hate-motivated crimes are defined as unlawful acts against an identifiable group, and they are “message crimes,” intended to cause community-wide impact, said Khaled.
Since these are usually under-reported, he encouraged people to call police about all hateful incidents— even slurs and insults.
Although language-related discrimination is generally not in the Criminal Code as it edges into the protected domain of freedom of expression, he still encouraged people to report slurs to give police better insight into the community and to provide an opportunity to educate the offender.
“We are all part of the all,” said Khaled, who believes everyone needs to take part in the conversation to eliminate racism and intolerance, including schools and elected officials.
Earlier on Tuesday, Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston opened the conference, saying “We cannot be a healthy community if we have discrimination. We can’t be healthy until we open our doors so that (all people) can have the full scope of opportunities in our city.”
Community Power of One continued with afternoon break-out sessions and evening inspirational speakers. It is organized by various groups in Red Deer, including Care for Newcomers, the City of Red Deer, the Native Friendship Centre, Catholic Social Services, and many others.