Israeli activist Ron East said his arrest Sunday was a “black day” for relations between Winnipeg Police Service and the city’s Jewish community.It’s hard to argue with that.“I told the police after that our community has no trust in you when they see you arresting me, yet letting the other side do whatever they want,” East told the Western Standard.“The message you’re sending is you are going to target the Jewish community.”Police cracked down on East — who was injured during his arrest — for temporarily parking in a no park zone to unload equipment for a rally.He was arrested in front of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights of all places.Dozens of trespassing pro-Palestinian protesters faced no resistance when they stormed the museum later.East was charged with obstructing a police officer and a Highway Traffic Act offence.Pro-Palestinian protesters get a pass for blocking CN Railway lines on November 20, causing traffic disruptions, maniacally calling for the genocide of Jews and storming public facilities.East said he’s the only one arrested in Winnipeg since protests erupted following the October 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis by Hamas terrorists.“Police have to show the Jewish community we are an even partner in this relationship. The only way they can prove that is by starting to take some action against the other side,” said East.WPS spokesperson Cst. Dani McKinnon, providing no detail, said other charges “are not sworn before the courts yet so they are not public record.”“I told police afterwards that this was a black day for the Winnipeg police and the Jewish community. Many were sympathetic. I believe the police as a whole are very concerned about this. It doesn’t make the police look well.”Well, it just takes one cowboy to shatter trust and tarnish an image.Pro-Palestinians are protesting Israel’s retaliation to root out Hamas terrorists in the Gaza strip after they invaded and beheaded, dismembered, burned alive including one infant in an oven, gang-raped then shot the victim’s private parts and executed civilians. They vowed to do it again.The protests cost WPS $136,000 for 2,288 overtime hours to provide supervision or escort for 25 of 37 events held between October 9 and December 6.Has anyone found out who shot out the window of a Winnipeg Jewish home in October that displayed a mezuzah with Jewish verses?Who’s running the city? Cowards? Those who hid a menorah on display at City Hall last weekend as a “precautionary” measure from having it damaged during protests need to man up. Somebody, anybody — stand up to radicals possibly threatening a religious symbol.“Nobody else is being asked to hide their symbols. What are you suggesting? That Winnipeg is a city of antisemites? Are we back in Germany World War Two?” said East.Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham apologized for not consulting the Jewish community first.In Winnipeg it’s hard to be a Jew now. Many are afraid. They feel unprotected — more so, after the arrest of East, founder of the Israeli Canadian Council who moved to Canada from Israel in 1982 and holds dual citizenship.“My arrest, me being a leader in the Israeli community in Winnipeg sends an absolutely wrong message,” said East.“Not just to the Jewish community, but also to the pro-Palestinian community and to the community as a whole that you prey on the weak. We’re seen as the weaker people. There are less of us when we go out to protest.”He said the Jewish community is being let down by politicians.“Sometimes silence is louder than any noise. Nobody has come out against these antisemitic protests.”What led to East being arrested, hauled to jail, booked, fingerprinted and placed in a cell?East was unloading his vehicle for a pro-Israel counter-protest of the pro-Palestinian protest rally where dozens stormed the museum and staged a “die-in.”He was parked in a no park zone when a senior WPS policeman approached with what East alleges was an “aggressive attitude.”“We were only two people there at the time. I said ‘He’ll moved his car right across the street then we’ll move my car.’ We already had our equipment, flags, out of the car. We said we didn’t want to leave it unattended. I didn’t want anyone stealing my expensive equipment.”“We were going to move the vehicles anyway. There was no need for him to have an attitude with us.”“I asked him to be kinder in his approach and demeanor when he was speaking to us. I said ‘You could have started much nicer with ‘Good morning … Are those your vehicles? Would you mind moving them?’”That’s when the officer asked the high-profile activist for his driver’s licence. East refused, was arrested and cuffed.The handcuffs were painfully tight. His requests to have them adjusted were ignored.“He threw me in the back of his car. They then threw me in another vehicle to take me to headquarters to book me.”Those officers loosened the cuffs.“The next morning, I couldn’t move my left wrist almost at all.”At a walk-in clinic East was “diagnosed with a carpal stain with strained ligaments.” Further X-rays will show whether he has a broken bone in the palm of his hand. He’s wearing a brace.He doesn’t dispute his vehicle was in a no parking zone.“But that’s still not a crime as far as I understand in Canadian criminal law.”“I looked at the Highway Traffic Act trying to find where it says anything about parking in a no parking zone in the City of Winnipeg. You know what it says? Nothing. It’s a City of Winnipeg parking bylaw. It’s crazy. Why not give me a ticket?”“Then these people sit on top of vehicles, doing things that you and I would be stopped in the middle of the road for and our licences suspended. They do it freely every weekend, close the city every weekend.”He wasn’t told what he was obstructing.“That is why I refused to produce my licence and identification. Canadian law clearly states that you don’t have to provide identification to police if you are on the sidewalk unless you are suspected of being in the process of committing a crime or that you committed a crime.”East said pro-Israel rallies don’t target Palestinians.“The world seems to be incapable of understanding it’s good versus evil. That’s all it is. This isn’t Israelis versus Palestinians. This is God versus the devil.”“Our rallies are targeting Hamas as a terrorist organization. You don’t see us coming out with Islamophobic signs or chants. Denounce Hamas with us. Hamas is as much of a problem for the Palestinian people as it a problem for the Israeli people.”After he was released on a promise to appear in court, East paid a $140 impound fee to retrieve his vehicle.“I went right out of jail back to protest.”Meanwhile, as Israeli Defence Forces battle Hamas, Hezbollah terrorists fire rockets into the Golan Heights.East learned Tuesday that his childhood home in Metula, 100 metres from the Lebanon border, was destroyed by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile.
