Criminal charges against three anti-Israel activists accused of harassing federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller have been dropped.
Mohanned Mansour, Samar Elkahlout and Wendy Ing were charged with criminal harassment and mischief for allegedly damaging a car that Miller was in, outside a Montreal Liberal byelection office in September.
The activists’ lawyer, Barbara Bedont, said the charges were withdrawn on Nov. 29 after the three accused presented video that countered the allegations against them, reports the Canadian Press.
Bedont is a lawyer with Defend the Movement Quebec, a legal clinic that defends protesters. She said on Friday that the Crown withdrew the charges once presented with video evidence.
“Because of that evidence, the prosecutor realized they were falsely charged,” she said.
Elkahlout, also known as Samar Alkhdour, has been holding regular sit-ins outside Miller’s Montreal office to protest the death of her 13-year-old daughter, Jana Elkahlout, who died in the Gaza Strip while waiting for permission to come to Canada.
A spokesperson for Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada said the government approved Jana’s assisted departure from Gaza in December 2023, but conditions made it impossible to get her out.
Bedont said Miller was present the day the accusations were levelled against the protesters and should apologize “at the least.” He should meet with the protesters who had been staging a sit-in outside his office for months, she added.
Miller will not be commenting on the case, according to a spokesperson from his office. His Montreal office will remain closed until the safety of his staff is ensured.
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