Vancouver police are investigating an alleged assault outside the Vancouver Provincial Criminal Court on Friday.
The incident allegedly took place during the first court appearance of Ibrahim Ali, the Syrian refugee accused of murdering 13-year-old Marrisa Shen.
Laura Lynn Thompson told Global News she was speaking to a man in front of the courthouse when a woman yelled something and threw coffee at her.
Global News cameras did not capture the incident.
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A silent, four-second video clip shot by another media outlet has been circulating on social media and appears to show a woman in a head scarf throw liquid at Thompson.
It is not clear what happened immediately before or after the video.
Vancouver police confirmed that a report of a woman having liquid thrown on her Friday was made on Saturday and that an investigation is ongoing.
Before and after the alleged incident, Thompson had been engaged in sometimes heated arguments with other demonstrators over Canada’s refugee policies and vetting process, which she linked to Shen’s death.
Thompson, who is running for Burnaby School Board candidate and vocal opponent of B.C.’s SOGI 123 curriculum, said she was at the court “to support my immigrant friends in the Chinese community and mourn their loss with them.”
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