‘That’s why we love Hamilton’: Corktown neighbours rally around family harassed over pro-Palestine yard sign

A handful of residents in Hamilton's Corktown neighbourhood have rallied around one of their own after a family was allegedly harassed for having a pro-Palestine sign in their front yard.

Rani Hemaid put up the sign - which dons the colours of the Palestine flag with the words We Stand for Human Rights" in red - in front of his home Monday to raise awareness about the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hemaid moved to Hamilton from the Gaza Strip a few years ago - his immediate family, including his mother, father and siblings, still live there.

The last few weeks have been nothing short of terrifying," he said, as a recent spate of violence between Israel and Hamas has reportedly left more than 240 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead. A ceasefire went into effect last Friday.

As Hemaid was putting the sign up and cleaning their yard with his young daughter, he said an unknown man was walking by and gave him a very unfriendly" look while saying things he couldn't quite hear.

Hemaid said the man then shouted at him to take down" the sign before walking away.

I was very shocked," he said, thinking the person might come back and steal the sign" from their yard. To stop that from happening, Hemaid attached the sign to their fence instead.

But the reaction to the sign still had him worried. He thought the man might come back to attack" their home.

He said those fears were realized the next day.

On his way home from work Tuesday, Hemaid said he got a call from his wife, Cynthia Wang. She had gone to pick up their daughter from daycare and while she was walking back home, she spotted the same man taking photos of their home with a cellphone.

Fearful that the person might confront her, Hemaid said Wang walked back to the daycare and stayed there until she could see that the man had left.

She was very scared of that person," he said, so much so that she worked from home the next day to avoid leaving the house, which is unlike the couple's usual behaviour. We're always out. If we're not in the park, we're on the front porch."

Hemaid said they also reported the incident through Hamilton police's online hate crime reporting portal later that day.

It's the second similar incident in Hamilton in a matter of days. Earlier this week, an Ancaster couple had their same sign stolen from their front yard and replaced with a hateful note. Hamilton police are now investigating both incidents as possible hate crimes.

The family's fears have since been lightened, with the neighbourhood rallying around them in support - all thanks to a Facebook post in their local community group, detailing the chain of events.

The response was nothing short of comforting," said Hemaid, with at least a handful of neighbours offering to put up signs in their own yards to show support for the family.

We felt so loved and cared for by our community," he said.

Cole Gately, a neighbour and longtime friend of Hemaid's, has a sign in his yard, although he had put it up before the incidents unfolded.

He said the showing of solidarity" among the neighbourhood is important - especially in the face of harassment and the resulting fear.

People who are allies need to step up and they need to put skin in the game," Gately said. You have to be strong and you have to be sincere."

Hemaid said thanks to their neighbours - including Gately - his wife now feels comfortable leaving the house again, knowing they aren't alone in this."

That's why we love Hamilton," he said. We feel so lucky that Hamilton chose us."

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com