Police have charged a man for an incident in Halifax where hate was a motivating factor.

At approximately 7:55 p.m. on November 14 police received a report of a disturbance in Mount Royale Park located at 635 Washmill Lake Drive in Halifax. A man was making threats to a group of people celebrating Diwali.

An officer located the man nearby and arrested him without incident. The man is scheduled to appear in court at a later date to face charges of:

• Public incitement of hatred
• Uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm
• Failing to comply with a court order

We recognize that incidents of this nature can be very harmful to our community. We take incidents that are motivated by hate towards a specific group very seriously.  If someone finds themselves exposed to behavior that is offensive, threatening or intimidating, we encourage them to report it to police to investigate so we can determine if criminal offences have occurred.  Even if the investigation does not find criminal wrong doing in that specific incident, it is important to have it on record.

Source: Release #notw