The Fredericton Police Force on Friday arrested a female teenage student who physically assaulted an Israeli-Jewish schoolmate in New Brunswick on April 30 in a documented attack that drew condemnation from Canadian politicians and accusations of Islamophobia by a Muslim rights group.
The 16-year-old assailant was taken into custody and released with charges pending, though the investigation is ongoing, said the police.
Officers said Thursday that officers had responded to the fight that occurred off Leo Hayes High School grounds, and collected evidence from those involved, such as the victim 14-year-old Shaked Tsurkan and the witnesses who watched and recorded the unfolding attack.
The police and Anglophone School District West (ASD-W) urged the public on Thursday not to spread speculation and rumor as the video of the attack circulated on social media.
The footage showed the Muslim student attacking Tsurkan from behind, grabbing her hair, and punching her repeatedly in the face. Tsurkan attempted to fight back against the attacker.
When a 14-year-old Israeli student was attacked, unprovoked, at a New Brunswick public school, her family turned to B'nai Brith Canada for help. We acted immediately, reporting the incident to the authorities and are working with the victim’s family in seeking justice.This… pic.twitter.com/KZWsvHCmV5
— B'nai Brith Canada (@bnaibrithcanada) May 15, 2024
The attack was stopped by an older man, who ASD-W said was not a staff member or teacher and who accused Tsurkan of initiating the fight.
Accusations of Islamophobia
The National Council of Canadian Muslims echoed the claim on Saturday, saying that the accused had pulled off the Muslim girl’s hijab and had been harassing her and other Muslim students for months. and this had been reported to the school administrators.
“The harassment of the accused was at least in part motivated by Islamophobia,” the NCCM said on social media. “The accused suggests that there were multiple witnesses to what occurred, including bystanders not involved at the school, and who can testify to what truly occurred.”
The NCCM said that it would “ensure that the accused has the opportunity to a full legal defense where the charges against her will be adjudicated with facts and evidence, and called for a full investigation into the incident. The organization criticized Canadian politicians for engaging in “irresponsible speculation” about the incident and spreading the narrative that “a Muslim student assaulted a Jewish student based on antisemitism.”
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs met with Tsurkan’s parents on Friday, and praised them for seeking to combat antisemitism and discrimination in schools.
“It grieves me that we see an example of blatant antisemitism right here in New Brunswick. We must stand together and speak out against such atrocities,” Higgs said on social media.
“I hope that both school and police authorities will continue to get to the bottom of this, and punish all who were involved in this brutal attack.”
Higgs was joined by New Brunswick Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Bill Hogan and MLA Dominic Cardy. Higgs said that members of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly from across party lines were horrified by the incident and that the parents expressed gratitude for the support. NB Opposition leader Susan Holt and NB Green Party Leader David Coon also met with the parents.
Cardy stated solidarity with the Jewish community at the NB legislature on Friday but said his mic was cut by the speaker. He said that he had heard about how Tsurkan was “beaten for being a Jew” after a Holocaust memorial service. She reportedly told him “my body will heal, but my heart is hurt.”
Cardy chastised the school for allegedly telling Tsurkan to avoid the attacker, the district for saying the situation was complicated, and authorities refusing to speak because the investigation was ongoing.
“Canadian Jews are getting used to seeing nothing done to defend their rights to go to without being beaten, the right to attend synagogues without walking over broken glass,” said Cardy.
ASD-W said Thursday that it “takes pride in fostering a multicultural, safe space that is dedicated to supporting all students. They strive to ensure every student feels valued, respected, and safe within the school community through their interactions with students and will always respond when any act of violence, discrimination, or hate occurs.”