No charges yet for B.C. protester who praised Hamas at rally

A B.C. woman who was recorded praising Hamas as “heroic and brave” can return to protest rallies, authorities confirmed this week.

Charlotte Kates was arrested following a demonstration outside the Vancouver Art Gallery back in April, where videos also showed her participating in a chant of “Long live Oct. 7,” celebrating the Hamas attacks on Israel.

One of her release conditions was that she not attend any “protests, rallies or assemblies” pending a court date scheduled in Vancouver on Tuesday.

The B.C. Prosecution Service told CTV News the conditions have since expired, as charges have not been laid against Kates.

Following her initial arrest, the Vancouver Police Department said investigators were working to determine whether any of the remarks made at the rally could constitute a hate crime.

Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Canada and many other nations around the world. The group’s Oct. 7 attacks killed around 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, and set off Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza. More than 42,000 Palestinians have died since, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Sgt. Steve Addison confirmed the investigation into Kates has been completed, and that a file was forwarded to the Crown for the consideration of charges.

“This process is ongoing, and I am unable to provide a timeline for completion,” a BCPS spokesperson said in an email Tuesday.

“The BCPS will have no comment while the matter continues to be in the charge assessment process.”

Back in August, Kates appeared on Iranian state television to discuss her arrest. She was reportedly in Tehran to accept an Islamic Human Rights and Human Dignity Award. 

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Kraig Krause