Saskatoon police investigating racism, threats during U of S event as possible hate crime

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 05, 2025 10:53 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Saskatoon constabulary are investigating the disruption of a University of Saskatchewan event with what the assemblage called "racist and profoundly inappropriate" imagery arsenic a imaginable hatred crime.

During an online presumption of the university's wide world assembly connected Thursday, an chartless idiosyncratic joined the gathering and began posting pornography and racist imagery.

The chartless person, oregon people, posted "inappropriate images and video portion voicing hateful rhetoric" during the meeting, Saskatoon constabulary said successful a Friday quality release.

The incident appears to beryllium a lawsuit of what's referred to as "Zoom-bombing" — where participants successful a video-conferencing gathering person their screens hijacked by malicious actors.

The Saskatoon Police Service's hate crimes portion is present collaborating with University of Saskatchewan Protective Services to analyse the incidental arsenic wilful promotion of hatred — an indictable offence under Canada's Criminal Code, Friday's quality merchandise said.

Hate crime charges are uncommon crossed the country, and some, including the wilful promotion of hatred charge, require the lawyer general's consent to proceed.

The online lawsuit was rapidly unopen down aft the disturbance began, and an announcement was made to the assemblage assemblage offering resources for those who needed them.

The assemblage aboriginal said that determination was nary hazard to its IT system.