Waterloo woman charged after racist attack at Kitchener DriveTest Center caught on camera

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Posted May 18, 2023 11:49 a.m. ET

Updated May 18, 2023 12:05 PM ET

A suspect, right, is seen slamming a cell phone from a Muslim woman’s hand during an alleged racist interaction at a drive-thru testing center in Kitchener on May 17. (Twitter screenshot/@AcrossHerTable)

A 27-year-old woman faces multiple charges after a Muslim woman was the victim of a violent racist attack at a DriveTest Center in Kitchener.

The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday inside a location on Ottawa Street North.

Police say a woman assaulted the victim and took her mobile phone and threw it at her before exiting the building and leaving the scene.

No one was physically injured in the incident, which is being investigated by members of the WRPS Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and General Investigations Units.

The victim, Kitchener resident Milfrah Abid, filmed part of the interaction on her cellphone and posted it to Twitter.

A number of other people also inside the center recorded the incident and posted it on social media.

The clips show Abid confronting another client for allegedly making a racist comment about brown people after being called out for skipping programming.

The woman in the video appears to become increasingly agitated and at one point is seen slapping the victim’s phone, saying she didn’t give him permission to be recorded.

Abid works as an anti-racism advocate for the KW Muslim Women’s Coalition. She told CP24.com Thursday morning that her job is to help victims of hate and racism and train people to become active bystanders.

In a tweet posted shortly after the incident, the victim said she was in shock after being punched…literally…but as shocked as this could happen to me – a vocal and professional lawyer against #hate, #racism and #islamophobia. Abid also wrote that she was shaking all over after the attack.

Many people have since posted messages of support for Abid and denouncing what happened.

The KW Muslim Women’s Coalition and the National Council of Canadian Muslims will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. today in Kitchener to discuss the incident and call for action.

The accused in the incident has been charged with assault, theft under $5,000 and assault with a weapon. She was taken into custody for a bail hearing.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service told CP24.com that it is not naming the defendants until they appear in court.

This investigation is ongoing and police are asking anyone who witnessed this incident or anyone with information to contact them at 519-570-9777, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.waterloocrimestoppers .com.

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