Saskatoon police investigating racism, threats during U of S event as possible hate crime
Saskatoon police are investigating the disruption of a University of Saskatchewan event with what the university called "racist and deeply inappropriate" imagery as a possible hate crime.
During an online presentation of the university's general academic assembly on Thursday, an unknown user joined the meeting and began posting pornography and racist imagery.
The unknown person, or people, posted "inappropriate images and video while voicing hateful rhetoric" during the meeting, Saskatoon police said in a Friday news release.
The incident appears to be a case of what's referred to as " Zoom-bombing" — where participants in a video-conferencing meeting have their screens hijacked by malicious actors.
The Saskatoon Police Service's hate crimes unit is now collaborating with University of Saskatchewan Protective Services to investigate the incident as wilful promotion of hatred — an indictable offence under Canada's Criminal Code, Friday's news release said.
Hate crime charges are rare across the country, and some, including the wilful promotion of hatred charge, require the attorney general's consent to proceed.
The online event was quickly shut down after the disturbance began, and an announcement was made to the university community offering resources for those who needed them.
The university later said that there was no risk to its IT system.
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