Edmonton civic leaders are trading barbs over a controversial visit to Israel by the city’s chief of police, with Mayor Andrew Knack slamming the trip and a rival councillor pointing to Knack’s own travel to countries with poor human rights records.
Police Chief Warren Driechel’s February trip to Israel, where he met with police leaders, erupted onto the municipal political scene Friday afternoon when Knack and three councillors issued statements on the move.
Knack, Coun. Erin Rutherford and Coun. Ashley Salvador blasted Driechel’s decision, with the mayor saying he was “deeply disappointed and frustrated” with Driechel and the police commission chair Ben Henderson for approving the trip.
“For many Edmontonians, the violence in the West Bank and Gaza is not distant,” Knack wrote in a statement. “Families in our community are grieving and are worried about loved ones who are living among unimaginable hardships. Decisions like these cause real hurt, damage relationships with communities that already feel marginalized, and break trust.
“At a time of rising Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, anti-semitism, and hate towards marginalized communities, the choice to make this trip is harmful and further alienates members of our community.”
Knack said he’s asked the commission to review its travel policies “particularly given the active travel advisories and sanctions in place,” and said he expects both police and commission “to meaningfully connect with our community to repair where trust has been broken so that all Edmontonians feel safe.”
Coun. Michael Elliott, an Edmonton police service staff sergeant until his election last year, defended the chief and called out “inconsistency in how international engagement is judged.”
While Elliott didn’t specifically reference the trip , Knack in January travelled to China, whose persecution of Muslim minorities has been characterized as genocide including by Canada’s House of Commons.
The Jewish Federation of Edmonton, meanwhile, condemned criticism of Driechel’s trip, stating “it’s a fact that antisemitic extremism leverages ansi-Israel activism as a platform to justify violence.”
Council issued their statements a day after the National Council of Canadian Muslims and two-dozen local Muslim groups said Driechel should answer questions about the trip or resign.
Driechel was part of a delegation from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which funded the trip. Police said the visit was “educational” and that Driechel gained insights “into local policing in a highly complex environment, including critical incident response, threat preparedness, and community engagement.”
More to come.
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