Selina Robinson, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future, speaks at an announcement in Vancouver, on Thursday, July 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
SURREY, B.C. – Protesters have gathered outside a provincial NDP caucus retreat in Metro Vancouver as they push for the resignation of British Columbia’s Post-Secondary Education Minister Selina Robinson over remarks about the Middle East.
They tried to deliver a petition they say has 11,000 signatures calling for Robinson to be removed as a minister.
Calls for Robinson’s removal by pro-Palestinian groups and others have intensified over remarks she made during an online panel last week, saying Israel was founded on a “crappy piece of land.”
Dozens of protesters carrying signs saying “Selina must go” made their way into the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel in Surrey, B.C., before leaving the petition and documents about Palestinian history outside a meeting room.
Robinson has issued a second apology for the remarks, saying she is committed to making amends and will undergo anti-Islamophobia training.
Over the weekend, a collection of British Columbia mosques and Islamic associations sent a letter to Premier David Eby calling for Robinson to be removed from her role.
The groups also said they would not welcome any NDP legislature member or candidate for the next election to their sacred spaces until Eby takes action against Robinson.
In Monday’s apology, Robinson said her comments had “broken the trust of many” and that she would have to earn it back.
“I am very sorry. I bear full responsibility,” said Robinson in her latest remarks. “My words were inappropriate, wrong, and I now understand how they have contributed to Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism.”
In previous remarks on Thursday, Robinson apologized for being disrespectful and said she was referring to the land on which Israel was founded having limited natural resources.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2024.
