Adil Charkaoui to face summary assault charge on Friday - Action News
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Adil Charkaoui to face summary assault charge on Friday

Well-known Quebec Muslim activist Adil Charkaoui will face a minor assault charge in court this Friday for an incident he says is yet another example of him being unfairly targeted.

Outspoken anti-Islamophobia advocate faces charge for incident involving CEGEP security guard

Adil Charkaoui has pleaded not guilty to a summary conviction offence for assault. (Radio-Canada)

Anoutspoken Quebec anti-Islamophobia advocate, Adil Charkaoui, will face a minor chargein court this Friday for an incident he says is yet another example of how he's been unfairly targeted.

Charkaouiconfirmed to CBC News that his lawyer will represent him on Friday in municipal court fora summary conviction offence of assault.

What happened is worthy of a banana republic, - Adil Charkaoui

But he said the whole incident is a lie.

"What happened is worthy of a banana republic," he wrote in Frenchvia text message.

"It's a shame to see what's happening here in Quebec."

The case stems from an incident that occurredin Februaryat the Collge de Maisonneuve, where Charkaoui rentsseveral classrooms forArabic and Qu'ran studies as part of a school he runs.

According to the CEGEP's version of events,a security guard who was making his rounds of the school's gyms was"intimidated and shoved" by AdilCharkaoui.

The CEGEP said the guard was watching a group of people play a game of soccer when the incident took place.

Charkaouitold CBC News a different story.

He said he was refereeing his son's soccer game at the school when theguard came over to see what was happening.

He said they asked the guardto move because they were afraid he could get hurt by accident, butthe guard refused to moveand, in fact, tried to provoke them.

Charkaoui said he never hurt the guard.

Charges followmedia reports

Hetold CBC News thateven though police were called to the scene, they left without making any arrests.

It was only a few days later,after the story made its way into headlines, that police asked to meethim again.

His lawyer arranged for Charkaouito meet policeand sign a form promising to appear in court.

The Collge de Maisonneuvesaid for nowit will not be commenting furtheron the incident.

Tense history between CEGEP and Charkaoui

The incident is the latest in a series of conflicts between the CEGEP and Charkaoui.

In fact,the alleged assault happened almost exactly one year after the school tried to cancel a contract to rent Charkaoui classroom space, afterreportsthat one of hisstudents was suspected of leaving Canada to joinmilitants in Syria.

The school later allowed Charkaoui to return.

Charkaoui was arrested in 2003 on a security certificate under suspicion of terrorism-related activities.He won his challenge of the certificate several years later.