Friday, August 05, 2016
Police confirm no charge will be laid
An Edmonton cyclist who was the victim of a much-publicized racial slur says the man who shouted the epithet at him has apologized.
"In the apology, he directly admits to using the hateful racial slur," Bashir Mohamed said on his Facebook page Friday. "I believe the apology is sincere and I have chosen to accept it."
Mohamed said he will meet with Mayor Don Iveson and police officials to discuss ways people of colour can report hate incidents without feeling afraid and how cyclists can feel safe on the road.
Mohamed's story went viral after he recorded a video of an altercation with a couple in a truck downtown July 29.
A man in the truck shouted at him to get off the road, and called him a "f---ing n----r."
Police investigated but concluded the man will not face criminal charges.
On Friday, Edmonton police Insp. Dan Jones said the incident did not reach a threshold to be a considered a hate crime under the Criminal Code.
Jones called it "unfortunate intolerant behaviour that we don't tolerate." He said the investigation is concluded.
"There's no real remedy within the Criminal Code for these types of things," he said. "They become challenging investigations to make people feel satisfied with what happened."
Jones said incidents like the one that happened to Mohamed should still be reported to police, even though charges may not end up being laid. They can be opportunities to educate the public, he said.
"Language hurts, people are impacted by language," he said. "People have to think about what they say."
The Criminal Code defines a hate crime as hateful literature or hateful speech that incites violence, Jones said.