Police have charged a man with criminal harassment after he allegedly stormed into a Hamilton mosque during a class and made hate-related comments.
Police also say the man ripped up an English copy of the Quran that he had brought with him.
Officers were called to the Hamilton Downtown Mosque at around 12:40 p.m. on June 14 for reports of a trespasser that had entered the building.
“The male entered through an insecure door and made his way to a classroom with a teacher and students,” police explained in a release. “He then proceeded to make hate-related comments.”
The Hamilton Downtown Mosque Board said the man made “racist and threatening statements” that “terrorized the teachers and students.”
“The individual was escorted outside to the parking lot,” the Board said in a social media post. “One of our staff members asked him to leave the property. He had a copy of the Clear Quran which he opened and ripped in half. Hamilton Police Services were called and arrived to the premises removing the individual.”
Here is an official statement from the Hamilton Downtown Mosque community, where an intruder entered the mosque last Friday afternoon, at the time of a grade 3 gym class, and uttered Islamophobic and racist slurs at students.
This is completely outrageous and unacceptable. We… pic.twitter.com/ewDWQbpZlF
— NCCM (@nccm) June 16, 2024
Hamilton Police say upon further investigation, video evidence and witness statements, they moved to lay a charge against the suspect, Wayne Voorthuyzen, 54, of Hamilton.
He’s facing a single count of criminal harassment.
“The actions of this intruder are unacceptable and threaten the safety of our children,” the Mosque’s Board added.
“We call on all levels of government to take action on Islamophobia through legislation prevention and mitigation programs.”
Hamilton Police confirm the incident has been classified as a hate crime.
“Incidents of this nature create fear and question the sense of belonging for diverse communities,” Hamilton Police said in a release, adding they’ve increased their presence at the mosque.