Palestinian-run businesses in Winnipeg report threats, abuse as deadly war continues
Business owner says he's getting a torrent of abuse through phone, social media
Ramsey Zeid says he has tough skin, but the barrage of hate he's enduring as Israel and Hamas are embroiled in a bitter war is piercing through.
Strangers are calling his cellphone 20 to 30 times a day, he says. They've accused him, as a Palestinian, of being a terrorist, of killing babies. These comments are taking a toll.
Zeid can usually "kind of roll with the punches pretty easily, but it's been a non-stop, ongoing thing the last four days, and it's starting to get to me, I'm not going to lie to you," said the manager of Food Fare on Maryland Street.
"I'm having a hard time sleeping. It's giving me a headache."
The constant threats and harassment come after Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched a surprise attack on Israel. Israel retailiated with airstrikes, declared war and placed Gaza under siege.
As of Thursday, more than 1,200 Israelis and 1,600 Palestinians have been killed.
The conflict has reverberated through Winnipeg, where city police have increased patrols around local synagogues, mosques and other places of worship.
Other businesses targeted
At least three Palestinian-run businesses in Winnipeg have been targeted with threats, name-calling and harassment, said Shahina Siddiqui, executive director of the Islamic Social Services Association.
"There are deaths on both sides. There are human lives lost on both sides," Siddiqui said.
"This divide that is developing, not only in Winnipeg but across Canada, is really very alarming, especially when it reaches children and youth who do not have the capacity to process or to make their point of view heard."
Siddiqui didn't want to get into specifics about her conversations with Palestinian business owners, to protect their identities, but she said the overarching theme is impossible to dismiss.
"The messages are always the same: 'You are not welcome; you are the problem,'" Siddiqui said.
The owners of another Palestinian-owned business reached by CBC News confirmed they had received threats, but declined an interview.
Zeid said the messages he's received are dismaying, especially since he thought it wasn't possible in a safe country like Canada.
But the surprise is starting to wear off. He played a voicemail for CBC News where he was told that after Israel pummels the Gaza Strip, they're coming for him next.
"Unfortunately, the shock's gone," Zeid said, after replaying the message. "Just another one of these idiots."
Aside from calls to his personal and work phone number, he's endured hate on social media and had to repair a smashed window at his Maryland Street grocery store (though he cannot confirm the vandal's motivation).
He also has a public profile as the president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba.
Police report filed
Zeid called the police on Wednesday after someone ran into his store, screaming and yelling profanities. It's happened a few times, he says.
"People around me are starting to feel unsafe. I need to make sure that they feel at ease and they feel safe," he said.
The Winnipeg Police Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday about the reports of abuse faced by Palestinian-owned businesses.
Despite the unease he's feeling, Zeid said his customers have been sympathetic and understanding. The business is continuing to do well.
He remains worried, however, that the war itself is only going to get worse.
Siddiqui urges everyone to remember that human lives are being lost as the conflict in the Middle East shows no signs of letting up.
"To me, a Palestinian life is no greater than an Israeli life," she said.
"This is the message that's not coming through. The message that is coming through, unfortunately, whether it is intended or not, is that one life has a greater value."