There were some tense moments in New Westminster City Hall Monday night – which led to a man leaving council chambers with a police officer and council members temporarily leaving the room.
The verbal disturbance occurred when a delegation was addressing council – but it was related to allegations of photos being taken in council chambers.
A man began shouting that he was being recorded by people who were attending the meeting in support of a notice of motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Moments earlier, two delegates had spoken in support of the ceasefire notice of motion put forward by Coun. Nadine Nakagawa.
When the shouting began, Mayor Patrick Johnstone apologized to the delegates, saying “there’s a bit of a disturbance” behind them. He asked council to leave the chamber until the issue had been addressed.
A man could be heard saying “you were taking a picture of me” while a woman stated she had not been taking his photo.
A resident who was in council chambers at the time of the incident told the Record the situation “boiled up quick”, and many people were soon filming the “huge commotion.” The resident said staff did their best to defuse the situation.
Another New West resident told the Record one man left with police, after asking to speak to the officer, who suggested they do so elsewhere.
According to the New Westminster Police Department, two officers were nearby and were called to attend council chamber by a member of city staff. No arrests were made.
Council returned to chambers after about 10 minutes and resumed the meeting.
New Westminster City Hall was packed for Monday night’s council meeting, with council chambers, the area outside the chamber and the foyer filled with people, many of them attending in support of the ceasefire notice of motion.
Nakagawa’s notice of motion asks the city to write to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging the Canadian government to immediately call for a ceasefire, support unrestricted access to humanitarian aid, and secure the release of all hostages. The motion states that human rights group such as Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders and the United Nations have cited growing atrocities in Israel and Gaza, including the deaths of many civilians, including children.
The notice of motion states that New Westminster condemns the rising incidences of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in communities.
At Monday’s meeting, two delegations urged city council to support the motion.
A woman, who identified herself as one of the founders of Citizen Action New Westminster, a group that has held rallies in solidarity with Palestinian civilians, asked council to take action.
“It's not anti-Semitism. We do not condone the murder of innocent civilians, or taking of hostages. We are advocating for human rights,” she said. “Racism, discrimination, and inciting violence is not why we are here. That is not who I am. The human suffering and dying in the images I wanted to show tonight, but was denied, are what pushed me to help form Citizen Action New Westminster. We are just a group of local citizens committed to this cause, not seasoned activists, nothing special, just individuals in the community.”
Robyn Kurtz, who also belongs to Citizen Action New Westminster, wants council to call for a ceasefire in Palestine.
“Thousands of people, babies and children are dead. Hospitals and schools and mosques destroyed. Thousands more left without food or water or electricity, while they look for their loved ones in the rubble. Children without parents, without limbs, utterly traumatized, and if they live, what life will they have?” she said. “Every day it gets worse.”
Kurtz appealed to city council to consider the notice of motion at Monday’s meeting, not at its next meeting.
“This is an emergency that cannot wait until we have celebrated holidays and a new year,” she said.
Nakagawa explained she had presented council with a “notice of motion” which means it’s not going to be debated until the next meeting. She questioned staff if there was a way to consider it at the Dec. 11 meeting.
Peter DeJong, the city’s corporate officer, said the notice of motion would have to be considered at the next meeting, which is on Jan. 8.
“To add any item to an agenda after the agenda has been moved along and we are at this stage of the game, it would require a unanimous vote of council. However, you'd still be faced with a procedure bylaw, which does not provide for a method by which this particular notice of motion can be discussed and debated tonight,” he said. “It would it would have to go to Jan. 8.”
Longtime New West resident David Brett expressed appreciation for the decision not to allow the notice of motion to be voted on by council at the Dec. 11 meeting.
“I read the agendas, and I noticed there was an order of motion. I think it's only fair that if people see that, they think that they still have an opportunity to speak to council about that motion at a future date,” he said. “And it's a very serious motion. It is not something to be taken lightly.”
