Hamilton police have charged a man with criminal harassment after he trespassed at a mosque in the city’s core.
Additionally, due to the nature of the comments the man made while inside the mosque and the actions he took upon leaving the building, the incident is being classified as a hate crime.
Officers say they first received a trespassing call around 12:40 p.m. after a man entered the Downtown Hamilton Mosque and made his way into a classroom full of students.
Once there, the man allegedly began spouting hate-related comments before he was made to leave.
Upon exiting the building, the man “ripped up an English copy of the Quran that he had brought with him.”
After speaking to several witnesses and reviewing surveillance video of the incident, police have charged 54-year-old Wayne Voorthuyzen of Hamilton with criminal harassment.
The Hamilton Downtown Mosque released a statement acknowledging the incident on Saturday night.
In a statement from its board of directors, the mosque claimed that the man had made “racist and threatening statements” that “terrorized the teachers and students.”
“The individual was escorted outside to the parking lot. One of our staff members asked him to leave the property. He had a copy of the Clear Quran which he opened and ripped in half.”
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