Halifax police charge man with incitement of hatred, death threats against group celebrating Diwali

Police in Halifax have charged a man with inciting hatred after he allegedly threatened a group celebrating Diwali, a major religious celebration for Hindus, Jains and Sikhs.

Halifax Regional Police (HRP) say at about 7:55 p.m. on Saturday, police received a report of a disturbance in Mount Royal Park at 635 Washmill Lake Dr.

A man was alleged to have been making threats to a group of people celebrating Diwali.

Officers located the man nearby and arrested him without incident.

The man is now scheduled to appear in court at a later date to face charges of public incitement of hatred, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, and failing to comply with a court order.

In a statement, HRP say they take incidents “that are motivated by hate towards a specific group very seriously.”

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“If someone finds themselves exposed to behaviour that is offensive, threatening or intimidating, we encourage them to report it to police to investigate so we can determine if criminal offences have occurred,” the release reads.

“Even if the investigation does not find criminal wrongdoing in that specific incident, it is important to have it on record.”