A Palestinian-owned café in Winnipeg was vandalized, with windows smashed and a hateful note left, prompting a police investigation into the hate-motivated incident.
Winnipeg Police Investigate Property Damage at Habibiz Cafe
Winnipeg police are looking into an incident at Habibiz Cafe. Two individuals were caught on camera damaging the property. The cafe owner reported that windows were smashed, and a note with hateful language was found.
Details of the Incident
| Time | Date | Location | Damage | Note Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 a.m. | Sunday | Habibiz Cafe, Winnipeg | Two front windows smashed | Hateful message, slur included |
At around 5 a.m. on Sunday, the owner of Habibiz Cafe was informed of the incident by a staff member. He rushed to the restaurant and found the two front windows smashed. He also discovered a note that told them to leave their country and called them terrorists.
Owner’s Response
Ali Zeid, the owner of Habibiz Cafe, expressed his feelings about the incident. “Coming to the restaurant and seeing what happened, my mom was upset, she was crying, she wanted us to close, my staff are scared, but that doesn’t give us no reason to close and go home,” he said.
Community Reaction
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) stated that this incident was not surprising. Sadaf Ahmed, Government Affairs and Public Policy Officer with NCCM, said, “This follows a much larger pattern of rising anti-Palestine racism and anti-Muslim sentiment across our country.”
Police Investigation
At a press conference on Monday, Winnipeg police services confirmed they are investigating the incident. They emphasized that they take all hate-motivated incidents very seriously. Despite the situation, the cafe remains optimistic.
Community Support
Zeid expressed gratitude for the community’s support. “There’s no words to what happened, right? There’s no words you can say, except thank you to the community, thank you to the public, that made us stay strong together,” he said. He added that they will fix the damage and continue operating.
“Listen, there is no room for hate in this beautiful country. There’s no hate in Winnipeg, there’s no hate in Manitoba,” Zeid concluded.
