Man accused of assaulting officer at Trudeau-Gaza protest in Vancouver granted bail

A B.C. man accused of injuring a police officer at a protest involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Vancouver has been charged and released.

Jakub Jerzy Markiewicz is facing charges of assaulting a peace officer, assaulting a peace officer causing bodily harm and resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

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The charges stem from a protest outside a cocktail bar in Chinatown on Tuesday night, which Trudeau was attending on personal time.

A crowd of up to 250 people had descended on the venue calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, with some protesters entering the bar and confronting the prime minister directly.

Vancouver police deployed 100 officers to the scene, and allege one officer was punched and had her eyes gouged.

Earlier in the evening, protesters had confronted Trudeau while he dined at Vij’s restaurant in Vancouver.

Markiewicz, who identifies himself as a “photo-journalist, wedding photographer, and artist,” did not respond to an email or answer the intercom when Global News attended the Coquitlam housing coop listed as his current address.

At a Friday media event, Trudeau was asked about the incidents, and whether he had concerns about the level of anger over the Gaza conflict.

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“We find ourselves in a moment where the intensity of the emotions, of the fear, of the grief people are going through is having Canadians forget a little bit about who we are,” Trudeau said.

“We are not a country where Canadians should be scared of other Canadians. We are one of those places in the world where diversity has been a source of richness, of depth, of strength for our country. And I think we all have to commit ourselves every day to listen to each other and have compassion for each other.”

Markiewicz was released on several conditions, including not attending any demonstrations or protests, not entering the City of Vancouver unless to attend a court appearance or with court permission and not possessing any weapons.

He is due back in court on Dec. 6.