OTTAWA — The woman arrested over the weekend in connection with an incident at a downtown Ottawa anti-Israel protest last week is a long-serving public servant with experience at a number of government agencies.
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Sara Wazzi-Moukahal, 29, was arrested on Sunday in connection with the Nov. 18 protest in which, according to police, anti-Israel activists attempted to take over Elgin St. near Ottawa City Hall at around 5 p.m.
According to Ottawa Police, protesters took over the intersection in front of the Ottawa courthouse despite being warned by police not to do so.
“After a 20-minute delay, where the demonstrators took over a portion of the intersection of Elgin St. at Nepean St. blocking the City of Ottawa parking garage, the demonstrators began the walking protest on the sidewalk of Laurier Ave. W. They then quickly turned north on Metcalfe St. and took over the street,” a police press release said.
During Wazzi-Moukahal’s first appearance Monday morning, Crown prosecutor Moiz Karimjee told the court Wazzi-Moukahal was a main driver behind the protest’s decision to disobey the police orders to keep off the streets.
“The actions of Sarah Wazzi-Moukahal exceeded the bounds of local protest when, as a leader on the Palestinian protest, she encouraged protesters to disobey police instructions not to be on the streets, and obstructed the police herself physically,” Karimjee told the court.
“The noise level she generated using the megaphone that she was shouting out of interfered with the local use and enjoyment of property.”
The protest caused area residents to feel unsafe, Karimjee added, saying that at least one resident is looking for a new place to live.
“The Crown is not opposed to lawful protests, what’s being addressed here is unlawful activities during the protest that are alleged,” he said.
“Wazzi-Moukahal has no prior criminal record, and I understand her to be an employee of the Government of Canada.”
Wazzi-Moukahal was released on a $1,000 bond with orders to not associate with a number of individuals — many of whom were arrested during the Nov. 18 protest, not to participate in, support or organize protests regarding the Middle East, not possess sound amplification devices, and prohibited from wearing masks in public without a valid, documented medical reason.
She’s scheduled to next appear in court on Dec. 20.
Wazzi-Moukahal’s now-deleted LinkedIn page listed employment dating as far back as 2016 with the Government of Canada, where she worked nine months as a Personnel Security Screening Specialist with Public Services and Procurement Canada.
She also worked as an administrative assistant with Global Affairs Canada, four months as a policy analyst with Public Safety Canada, four months as a public affairs officer with the Canadian embassy in Laos, and currently as a policy analyst for “women, peace and security” with Global Affairs Canada.
Invitations for comment were made to Global Affairs Canada.
Wazzi-Moukahal is a prominent figure in Ottawa’s anti-Israel movement, with a history of social media posts defending Hamas and terrorist acts against Israel.
According to screenshots posted online by anti-hate watchdog group Canary Mission, she accused Zionists of “the ethnic cleansing of our people from their homeland, and yet people will frame us as violent if we refuse to hold hands and stand around singing Kumbaya with our oppressor” in a May 2021 tweet.
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