New footage raises questions about 'Islamophobia' claims in Moncton car show fight
After Muslim advocacy groups alleged that Islamophobia motivated a multi-person brawl at a New Brunswick car show, newly released footage is raising questions about the activist narrative.
Several Muslim advocacy groups were quick to condemn the altercation at a Moncton car show as an Islamophobic attack. However, additional footage appears to show events preceding the fight that were absent from the short, muted clip circulated online.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims shared footage appearing to show one woman attacking another in a Moncton parking lot. The organization and others described the altercation as Islamophobic, prompting some online observers to question why the video was brief, muted and presented without the events leading up to the fight.
A Facebook user who said he witnessed the altercation later shared multiple videos that appear to show what happened beforehand. One clip shows the alleged victim’s husband being asked to leave by people at the event. Another shows the woman returning to an agitated crowd and confronting people shortly before another woman initiates the physical altercation.
When asked whether investigators had reviewed the additional footage and whether the incident was still being investigated as a potential hate crime, Codiac Regional RCMP told Juno News that the investigation remained active and that no further information would be released at this time.
