B.C. human rights commissioner reminds victims of anti-Muslim hate crimes there is legal help

Kasari Govenderwants British Columbians to know they are not alone if they are the victim of a hate crime; they alsohave the law on their side.

The province's human rights commissioner,speaking Thursday on CBC's The Early Edition, said anti-Muslim hate has been on the rise in Canada and it is important people know that they have human rights protections and legal recourse throughthe country's Criminal Code.

Govender's reminder comes in the wake of a fatalvehicle attack on a Muslim family of five in London, Ont., Sunday that killed four and left a young boy orphaned.

Police have described the deadly hit and run as a premeditated hate crime.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has since called it a terrorist attack and reiterated in the House of Commons Tuesday it is not an isolated event.

The Quebec City mosque massacre, the September murder of a man at a Rexdale, Ont., mosque and multipleless violent but still alarming episodes like the recentharassment of Black Muslim women in Edmontonreveal a troubling streak of Islamophobia in Canada, Trudeau said.

"We know that hate crimes against Muslims in Canada grew 253 per cent between 2012 and 2015,so definitely on the rise," said Govender.

Accessing legal help

In B.C., the Islamophobia Legal Assistance Hotline can help Muslims who have been, or fear they could be, the subject of discrimination and attacks.It's a service that connects peoplewith free and confidential legal advice.

Lawyer Hasan Alam,the hotline's community liaison, says it can be a very helpful service for people who are not familiar with Canada's legal system or if English is not their first language. Alam said hotline staff can also connect people with professional counsellors.

TheIslamophobia Legal Assistance Hotline can be reached at 604-343-3828.

The B.C. Human Rights Clinic also operates a telephone info line which provides general information about the B.C. Human Rights Code. Theinfo line can be reached toll freeat 1-855-685-6222.

The clinic,operated by the Community Legal Assistance Society, offers free virtual appointments with legal experts.

Far right extremism rising

The federal government has identified far right extremism and hate as a major threat to the country.

In January, a research reportby the Department of National Defencesaidfar right extremism is on the rise in Canada and is likely to continue to increase especially under pandemic circumstances.

Govender said her office is working to let people who have been, or may be, targeted by extremists know what their legal options are.

"There are mechanisms for redress under the criminal law, which I think a lot of people are aware of ... what many folks aren't aware of is that the human rights system also allows for redress against hate in certain circumstances, andthat can lower the bar in terms of that standard of proof that's required," said Govender.

Unchecked online hate

University of Northern British Columbia studentNadia Mansour, 18, is a hijab-wearing Muslim living in Prince George who told CBC she is afraid of being violently attacked after what happened in Ontario.

She said unchecked hate speech online enables vitriol, sparks violence and needs to be cracked down on harder by Canadian officials.

"Online is a huge platform where I feel like a lot of conversations are triggered or talked about where people feel safer to have these terrible conversations," said Mansour.

WATCH| Advocate calls for stronger regulations against online hate in Canada:

Federal government slow to act on online hate

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Online, said Govender, is where Canadian laws and human rights legislation could better serve citizens.

She said Canada's Criminal Code does equate online hate speech with in-person hate speech but the burden of proof is high and there are defences built in that can favour the perpetrator, such as things that were said on the basis of genuine religious belief.

Human rights law rightin Canada, according to Govender, doesn't currently have explicit protections against online speech and she says she'd like to see thatchange.

"The substance of the speech, doesn't matter whether it happens on Facebook, on a Facebook post, or in- person or on a poster,it should be covered by human rights law," said the commissioner.