BC Minister Who Resigned Over Mideast Comments Received Death Threat, Premier Says

BC Minister Who Resigned Over Mideast Comments Received Death Threat, Premier Says
B.C. Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, Selina Robinson, speaks during an announcement in Delta, B.C., on May 2, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)
The Canadian Press
2/9/2024
Updated:
2/9/2024
0:00

British Columbia’s premier says Selina Robinson, who resigned as post-secondary education minister recently over Mideast comments, has received a death threat.

David Eby called the action inexcusable in a statement posted on the social media platform X.

He says police are investigating to find out who is responsible and that Ms. Robinson is safe.

Ms. Robinson stepped down from the cabinet post on Feb. 5 after facing growing criticism over her comments during an online panel that modern Israel was founded on a “crappy piece of land,” which critics called racist and Islamophobic.

Mr. Eby had said previously that Ms. Robinson’s constituency office was vandalized with “hateful messages” after her resignation.

Nico Slobinsky with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs says on social media he is saddened by the news of the threat, adding that he wonders if Ms. Robinson’s critics are emboldened after her resignation.

Mr. Slobinsky says in a separate post that a death threat on an elected official “should concern all British Columbians.”