“A group of about 10 men began yelling in English and Arabic that they were Zionists and Jews.”
“Machete used in anti-Semitic attack in Gatineau, Carleton students say,” by Dave Rogers for The Ottawa Citizen, April 6 (thanks to all who sent this in):
OTTAWA — A well-known student supporter of Israel at Carleton University and an Israeli engineering student at the university say they are counting themselves lucky to have survived an attack with what they say was a machete near a Gatineau bar early Monday.
Nick Bergamini, 22, vice-president of the Carleton University Students’ Association, said he and roommate Mark Klibanov were leaving Le Volt bar on Promenade du Portage at 1:45 a.m. when a group of about 10 men began yelling in English and Arabic that they were Zionists and Jews.
“These people must have been Carleton students because I recognized one of them,” Bergamini said. “I said I love Israel because I support Israel’s right to exist.
“I told them not to do this because I knew who they were, but I got hit hard on the back of the head. We ran to the bar entrance because bar security was there.”
The two men later decided to walk across the Chaudière Bridge to Ottawa when the crowd surrounding them dispersed about five minutes later. As they walked through a parking lot near the bridge, however, a car with three men inside pulled up beside them.
“One of them rolled down the window and said: ‘I am the one who hit you, you f—–g Jew,’ although I am not a Jew,” Bergamini said. “Two guys came out of the car, and one of them tried to kick my roommate.
“One attacker said, ‘Open the trunk,’ and another guy pulled out a machete that glinted in the street lights. I yelled that they had weapons, and we started running as fast as we could. I saw the guy wind up with the machete as I looked back.”
Bergamini and Klibanov reported the attack to Gatineau police on Monday and said they planned to tell university officials about it. Gatineau police Lt. Gilbert Couture confirmed that police were investigating the attack, but provided no further details.
Klibanov, 20, said the machete missed the back of his friend’s head by about a foot as they sprinted across the bridge to Ottawa. He said they were not injured because they outran their assailants.
“I have never spoken to that guy in my life, but it is known at Carleton that I have been to Israel and that I have a Facebook site supporting Israel,” Bergamini said. “My roommate is on the board of the Israel Awareness Committee that does advocacy on behalf of Israel.
“I am happy that I am still alive. We both could have been killed (Sunday) night because he swung a machete at my neck.”…
“Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks…” — Qur’an 47:4