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Embattled B.C. councillor issues new apology for signing Hamas letter

But Victoriasa国际传媒檚 Susan Kim is resisting calls for her to resign
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Victoria Coun. Susan Kim has been asked to resign by some. (City of Victoria photo)

Embattled City of Victoria Coun. Susan Kim has issued a revised apology, but is not resigning after her name appeared on a controversial open letter that questioned if there was sexual violence committed by Hamas as part of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.

Kimsa国际传媒檚 name appeared on the letter, which included the line the sa国际传媒渦nverified accusation that Palestinians were guilty of sexual violencesa国际传媒 as part of the Oct. 7 attacks that saw some victims tortured before they were killed. That letter has since been heavily edited to remove the statement and the names of those who signed it.

The letter sparked a firestorm of criticism, including from B.C.sa国际传媒檚 Minister of Municipal Affairs Anne Kang and Victoria-Beacon Hill MLA Grace Lore, plus a petition asking Kim to resign that has 10,000 signatures.

Kim initially issued a statement in response to the controversy, but that statement was heavily criticized by some who felt it didnsa国际传媒檛 go far enough and wasnsa国际传媒檛 an actual apology.

Kim posted a new statement on Instagram in which she admits she was wrong for signing the letter, adding that she now wants her name removed from the letter.

sa国际传媒淚 am writing again to apologize for signing the open letter that has been the subject of much-warranted scrutiny over the past days,sa国际传媒 Kim wrote. sa国际传媒淚 have asked for my name to be removed from the letter. I regret not being more careful in understanding the impact of the letter on the community members I represent.

sa国际传媒淚 signed this letter in a moment of immense grief and a felt urgency to call for an end to violence and support the people of Gaza. In the process, I failed to critically assess the impact this would have on community members directly affected - including Jewish and Palestinian community members - experiencing loss and grieving loved ones. This apology is part of a process of holding myself accountable, to representing the city with more awareness and consideration.sa国际传媒

Kim has received heavy criticism from Victoria residents, as well as B.C. politicians, including Colwood Coun. Ian Ward, who has demanded Kim be censured by Victoria council and that she be removed from her committees.

On Monday, Kang called on Kim to sa国际传媒渁pologize immediatelysa国际传媒 but stopped short of asking her to resign.

sa国际传媒淚 believe in survivors,sa国际传媒 Kang said. sa国际传媒淚 believe in their first-hand accounts and it is absolutely wrong to deny that these accounts happened.sa国际传媒

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Chris Campbell

About the Author: Chris Campbell

I joined the Victoria News hub as an editor in 2023, bringing with me over 30 years of experience from community newspapers in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
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