Mont Tremblant police search for woman following racist incident
Police in Mont Tremblant are looking into allegations of racism at the ski hill.
A Montrealer of Israeli origin and his children were waiting for the ski lift when a woman began to attack him verbally, said police spokesman Éric Cadotte.
"The suspect, who was also waiting in line, decided to push the man while saying, 'You Muslims should go back to your country,'" Cadotte said.
The man and his family made it into a gondola but the abuse didn't stop, Cadotte said.
He said the woman followed them inside and continued to swear at the man and called him an animal.
She also pushed him with her shoulder while continuing the abuse.
"She then waved her ski stick and made a motion to poke the man, until an attendant intervened to place the woman in another gondola," he said.
Cadotte said the man was passive throughout the incident and contacted the police afterwards.
Luciano Del Negro from The Centre for Israel Jewish Affairs says incidents such as these have gone up in recent years.
"The number of anti-Semitic acts and racism against visible minorities and religious minorities has been on the increase since the very toxic debate and climate which was established during the whole charter issue," he said.
Police are looking for the woman to get her side of the story.
She is about 60 years old with blue eyes and blonde hair. She may have been wearing a white ski coat.
Cadotte said police would also like to hear from anyone who might have seen the incident. He said the woman could be charged with assault.
