The Crown has dropped charges against a woman who was filmed pulling down another woman’s hijab during a protest at Ottawa City Hall.

The Israeli flag was raised on May 14 to mark Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. A video posted on social media shows a woman pointing at the camera before pulling down the hijab of a woman waving a Palestinian flag.

Police then charged the 74-year-old woman with assault, mischief and harassment by threatening conduct on May 23.

On Wednesday, Crown prosecutor Moiz Karimjee said all charges would be dropped.

“The Crown is obliged to consider the reasonable prospect of conviction and the public interest in prosecution at every stage of the proceedings in each case,” Karimjee wrote.

Karimjee called the incident a “serious breach of law and order” and said the accused by pulling the victim’s hijab “violated her personal safety, her sense of belonging to Canada and her dignity “. He also stressed that the protest against Israel was personal for the victim. “The victim said many of his friends and family had been killed in Gaza,” he said.

Karimjee, however, also noted that the victim was engaged in chanting which could be considered problematic.

“The victim in this case chanted: ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.’ Although some give the expression a peaceful meaning, an equally reasonable conclusion is that it is a call for the genocide of the Jewish people,” he said.

“I informed the victim that in my opinion the use of this expression was problematic in this case. As the Crown, it is my duty to assess the public interest taking into account all the circumstances. The audience includes our entire community. At best, even if there is another meaning to this expression, the fact is that it is perceived by many Jewish and non-Jewish people as a call for the genocide of the Jews. It seems counterintuitive to protest a perceived genocide of Palestinians while using a term. phrase, one interpretation of which is a call for the genocide of the Jewish people. »

Karimjee noted that the accused has since apologized and made amends since the incident, including a restitution payment, to cover some of the financial impact on the victim who left Canada after the incident . The accused also had no criminal record and this was the first time she had been arrested and charged.

Karimjee also said the victim supports dropping the charges.