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— Erez Linn ארז לין (@ErezHayom) April 28, 2025

The annual event, a cherished celebration of Filipino culture and community spirit, became the scene of unimaginable horror when a driver deliberately rammed an SUV into the crowd, leaving a trail of devastation. Initial reports spoke of 11 dead, a number that is likely to climb higher as many are as still hospitalized.

"It shocks us as a community because you just don't see this type of thing happen in Vancouver, let alone Canada," expressed one man standing near the memorial, his voice thick with emotion. Living just off Knight Street, he added, "It just hit so close to home... I'm still shaking honestly."

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— Erez Linn ארז לין (@ErezHayom) April 28, 2025

The sentiment of disbelief echoes through the hushed conversations near the police tape. "Never thought something like would happen in Vancouver," stated an older man, who had attended the festival earlier in the day but left hours before the incident. "I wouldn't even think this would happen... I never even thought it would happen in Surrey, might as well here in Vancouver." His wife is Filipino, he noted, making the tragedy feel even more personal. "This has affected her."

For many, the day had started brightly. "It was sunny and everyone was just out here celebrating," the Knight Street resident recalled. "The atmosphere was just great, city-wide."

Crystal, who lives nearby on 39th Avenue, attended the festival earlier on Saturday but left around 3 p.m., five hours before the tragedy unfolded. "It was packed with people," she remembered. She only learned something was terribly wrong later that evening. "I went off from work at around 9:00 p.m... when I was about to get home, there were ambulance and police cars everywhere. So I wasn't aware yet of what happened, until I got home and saw it from my phone and from the news." Thankfully, her friends had also left early.

Another woman, who identifies as Filipino, had planned to attend with her husband and son but cancelled at the last minute because she wasn't feeling well – a decision that likely saved them. "Never thought in life... in million years for this to happen," she said, visibly shaken. Her nephew, who was present, left just moments before the chaos erupted and sent her horrifying messages and video. "[He described] people flying or like getting run over," she shared, relaying the graphic nature of the footage she received showing "people just laying on the ground, lifeless."

Eyewitness descriptions paint a terrifying picture of the moment the vehicle struck. One person described how the driver "plowed that way... plowed in that way to the end." Another simply recalled hearing the news: "Whoa, run over? That's not good."

The location itself has become a point of discussion. The woman who stayed home noted that the festival is often held in a nearby field. "Normally it's at a field over there... not on the street like this, 'cause a car can easily just drive by," she mused. "If there was a lot of like security, I think they would have prevented it from happening."

The impact reverberates beyond the Filipino community, touching all who value such gatherings. "It's not just the Filipino community, it's everyone who participated to celebrate community and togetherness," the Knight Street resident emphasized.

Amidst the sorrow, raw anger simmers for some. The older man who left the festival early expressed outrage, stating bluntly what he felt should have happened to the driver had he been apprehended by the crowd immediately. "I'm actually surprised the guy survived," he stated grimly.

At the memorial. Solemn silence. PM @MarkJCarney kneels for a long moment pic.twitter.com/nBdq9lHxLt

— Erez Linn ארז לין (@ErezHayom) April 28, 2025

"I'm just really devastated of what happened," murmured a young woman from the city of Port Moody, her heart going out to the affected families. Her connection, like many here, is tangential yet deeply felt – friends who work at the nearby hospitals, now dealing with the injured. "It does hit close to home because it impacts people around you."

For many Vancouverites, the scale and nature of the violence feel alien. "I think it's really shocking for Vancouver," the young woman added, acknowledging global conflicts but stressing the unprecedented nature of this event on home soil.

More from the makeshift memorial in Vancouver for the #FilipinoFestival tragedy pic.twitter.com/PELQkW5IXN

— Erez Linn ארז לין (@ErezHayom) April 27, 2025

Regina, a member of the Filipino community, recounted her own brush with fate. She had planned to attend the celebration after work but got engrossed watching Pope Francis' funeral Mass on television. "I got stuck watching the funeral," she recalled. "And then the next thing I saw is all those police cars and fire trucks... I got saved by the... watching by the Pope." Her relief is mingled with profound sorrow; her son, serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, frantically called, knowing her plans. Worse still, the mother of her son's military colleague, another Filipino woman who attended the event, was among the dead.

The memorial site is a tapestry of such near misses and tragic connections.

Somber moments at the Lapu Lapu tragedy memorial on Fraser and 41st pic.twitter.com/8eaQ87fDZ5

— Erez Linn ארז לין (@ErezHayom) April 29, 2025

Another woman shared that she and her family left the celebration just 20 minutes before the ramming occurred. Her friend's house faces the scene, his security camera capturing the horrifying moment the car accelerated. "My brother knows him," she said softly, referring to one of the young victims, a Grade 9 student from a local school. Her daughter-in-law works at BC Children's Hospital, where the youngest victim, a five-year-old, succumbed to their injuries. "This is this is tragic," she stated flatly.

Amidst the grief, questions and anger simmer. Details emerge about the driver's actions – blending in with departing vendors, making a slow U-turn before suddenly accelerating to high speed. "He planned it," a woman insisted, her voice hardening. "He he made a move... find me a position to accelerate the vehicle. And it's evil."

Concerns about security linger. While barricades were present, witnesses suggest volunteers may have lifted them to allow vendors to leave, unwittingly creating an opening. "There was not like one [security guard] the whole like area, which is weird because they usually have at least some security at places," noted the young woman whose friend's camera captured the incident.

Daisy, another mourner, arrived visibly shaken. Her daughter's best friend, a single mother with two young boys, was fighting for her life in the ICU. "Oh my gosh," she sobbed after getting a text updating her from the hospital. Daisy herself had narrowly avoided the tragedy, cancelling plans to attend last minute due to parking concerns, her grandchildren, and an inexplicable "small voice" telling her not to go because she had a lot of plants in the back of her truck and wanted to deal with them.

Like others, Daisy grappled with the brutality, having seen unreleased, graphic footage shared within the community. "It's like a horror movie," she whispered, describing scenes far more horrific than public reports. "This is not Vancouver." As a single mother herself, she felt a deep connection to the victims, particularly the young mother now lost.

The tragedy has pierced the heart of a multicultural celebration. "This is not only Filipino event," Daisy emphasized. "They bring their friends and family... it's across multicultural."

In the face of such profound loss, the community response is beginning to take shape. Calls for blood donations echo through the city, with hospitals treating the critically injured. Fundraising efforts are underway. Prime Minister Mark Carney  paid respects a day before Canadians went to the polls. Carney's silent kneeling presence at the memorial deeply moving onlookers. Carney arrived at the scene a day after the tragedy, after stopping his campaign and cancelling the rally that was supposed to take place in the city. His rival, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre did not visit the site, and stayed in the east and held more rallies. Perhaps this helped Carney seal the deal get the voters' backing on Election Day: The Liberals won big, and once the outstanding votes are fully tallied may even get an outright majority.

More from the makeshift memorial in Vancouver for the #FilipinoFestival tragedy pic.twitter.com/PELQkW5IXN

— Erez Linn ארז לין (@ErezHayom) April 27, 2025

But beyond the immediate needs, there's a palpable sense of a community trying to process the unthinkable. "It's just really hard," Daisy admitted, reflecting the collective sentiment. She urged people to seek support. "Reach out... people should open up because it's not good to keep it. Just talk to somebody."

A Port Moody resident in her 20s made the journey by bus to downtown Vancouver yesterday to lay flowers at the memorial site where 11 people lost their lives during the Lapu Lapu festival. "I'm just really devastated by what happened and my heart goes out to all the family members who were affected," she told Israel Hayom, visibly emotional as she placed her floral tribute alongside hundreds of others that have accumulated since the tragedy. Despite not knowing any of the victims personally, she explained, "I know some people who work at the hospital and who might have to deal with the patients that were impacted. It just hits close to home because it impacts people I know."

When asked about how Vancouver residents are coping with such unprecedented violence, the young woman reflected on the shock felt throughout the region. "It's really shocking for Vancouver but this kind of thing has happened around the world before," she said, placing the incident in a broader global context. "There's also a lot of wars happening in Gaza or Ukraine. We've been seeing a lot of death recently from online social media, so I think that makes it a bit less shocking—but still, in Vancouver, nothing like this has happened before."

As more candles are lit against the fading light, the memorial stands as a testament to shattered peace but also to burgeoning solidarity. Vancouver, a city often seen as an exemplar of harmony, now faces a long road of healing, remembrance, and reckoning, forever changed by a day of celebration that ended in unimaginable sorrow.

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The UK government is set to treat extreme misogyny as a form of terrorism for the first time, according to a report by The Guardian. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has initiated a review of the counter-terrorism strategy to address violence against women and girls and identify gaps in current legislation.

Under the proposed plans, teachers would be legally required to refer pupils suspected of extreme misogyny to Prevent, the UK government's counter-terror program. The review is expected to be completed this autumn as part of a new counter-extremism strategy to be unveiled by the Home Office next year.

Does stoning women to death count as "extreme mysogyny", @YvetteCooperMP ?

How about the public flogging of women?

Are the muslim rape gangs who target underage white girls in cities like Rotherham to be charged as terrorists?

And will the councillors, social workers, labour… pic.twitter.com/acWeJpXUB1

— Jonathan Kinlay (@JonathanKinlay) August 18, 2024

Cooper told The Telegraph, "For too long, governments have failed to address the rise in extremism, both online and on our streets, and we've seen the number of young people radicalized online grow. Hateful incitement of all kinds fractures and frays the very fabric of our communities and our democracy."

The Labour MP added, "Action against extremism has been badly hollowed out in recent years, just when it should have been needed most. That's why I have directed the Home Office to conduct a rapid analytical sprint on extremism, to map and monitor extremist trends, to understand the evidence about what works to disrupt and divert people away from extremist views, and to identify any gaps in existing policy which need to be addressed to crack down on those pushing harmful and hateful beliefs and violence."

The Home Office currently ranks several extremism categories, including "incel" or "involuntarily celibate," an online subculture promoting a misogynistic worldview by men who blame women for their lack of sexual opportunities.

Last month, deputy chief constable Maggie Blyth, national lead for policing violence against women and girls (VAWG), warned that online influencers like Andrew Tate could radicalize young men and boys into extreme misogyny, similar to how terrorists recruit followers. Blyth emphasized the need for the Online Safety Act to go further and called for faster action to protect children.

Stop giving Andrew Tate a platform pic.twitter.com/k4jqwKknAH

— Dean OP (@Seb5meister) August 15, 2022

The National Police Chiefs' Council has published a report on violence against women and girls, framing it as a national emergency. Counter-extremism workers have also reported a rise in cases referred to them by schools concerned about the influence of Andrew Tate, including incidents of verbal harassment of female teachers and pupils echoing the influencer's views.

Tate is currently awaiting trial in Romania over allegations of rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. He denies the charges.

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The United Nations Security Council urged Israel and the Palestinians on Tuesday to avoid actions that can further inflame tensions in the volatile region.

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The statement was backed by both the United States and Russia in a moment of unity on a divisive issue, reflecting the widespread international concern at the escalating violence.

The statement followed what UN Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland called "an alarming spike in violence" in the West Bank that led to numerous Palestinian and Israeli casualties. He warned the council that "unless decisive steps are taken now to rein in the violence, there is a significant risk that events could deteriorate further."

Council members called for restraint and "encouraged additional steps to restore a durable calm and de-escalate tensions."

The United States, Israel's closest ally, supported the council statement and US deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the council that the Biden administration shares Wennesland's alarm.

He said the US was "horrified by the brutal terror attack against Israelis" near the West Bank town of Eli on June 21 that killed four and injured several others and condemned it "in the strongest terms." He also condemned "the recent extremist settler attacks against Palestinian civilians, which have resulted in a death, injuries and significant damage to their property."

Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan criticized the council of underreporting the 3,500 attacks Palestinians have committed against Israelis since the beginning of the year.

He condemned the violence against Palestinian civilians and said Israel is "working tirelessly" to find and hold those responsible accountable. He pointedly noted that the Palestinians have not condemned the murders of innocent Israelis.

Erdan accused the Palestinians of seeking "the destruction of the very notion of a Jewish state." He said if Israel withdrew from the West Bank, the Hamas terror group would take control as it did in Gaza.

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US pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led to a major change to the agenda of the special cabinet meeting held Tuesday with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in attendance, Israel Hayom has learned. 

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What was originally supposed to be a discussion on the rise of violence in Jenin and how to address it became a meeting on the violence of Jewish settlers. 

Officials told Israel Hayom they were surprised to learn of the change, which they said came following US pressure on Netanyahu as settler violence is gaining global criticism. 

Similar pressure was also exerted by the European Union on the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office. 

Sources criticized Gallant, however, saying he was "more preoccupied with settler violence than Palestinian terrorism." Shortly before Tuesday's cabinet meeting, Gallant said he had met with the head of the Palestinian Authority's General Authority of Civil Affairs Hussein al-Sheikh and "harshly condemned" the recent violence. 

According to a Defense Ministry statement, "the two discussed the recent increase in terror incidents as well as the common need to calm the situation on the ground."

Gallant stressed that the Defense Ministry will act to thwart terrorism "wherever required" and emphasized the need to act against terror hubs that seek to destabilize the region. 

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Against the backdrop of the alarming crime wave in the Arab sector, police officials expressed concern this week that it may overflow to the rest of Israeli society.

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"The reality is tragic for Israeli society in general and Arab society in particular, and as the police commissioner I am anxious about it, but the anxiety does not paralyze us," Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said.

According to one police official, crime has become particularly widespread following the coronavirus pandemic.
"Since COVID, society in general has become more violent, and there has definitely been an increase in the level of violence and the danger is spreading."

Since the beginning of 2023, 102 people have been killed in the Arab sector – nearly three times as many as in the same period last year. The most recent murder victims were five young Arab Israelis, who were gunned down in an Arab town in northern Israel last Thursday.

The spike in violence is attributed to organized crime groups fighting turf battles and trying to kill rivals.

Likud lawmaker Eliyahu Revivo proposed legislation to allow the Shin Bet security agency, which is primarily responsible for counterterrorism and counter-espionage, to become more active in fighting crime in the Arab sector.

The agency and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara objected to Revivo's proposal, which led to the bill's ultimate rejection by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation.

Shin Bet leaders are reportedly concerned that employing the agency to fight domestic crime would lead to the exposure of its methods, while Baharav-Miara and previous Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit have argued that the Shin Bet can only have a "limited role" in fighting crime.

Arab Israelis have called for the government to take stronger measures against the criminal gangs, but are deeply opposed to the Shin Bet being tasked with fighting crime.

JNS.org contributed to this report.

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Police and security forces are working to crack down on incitement to violence, especially ahead of the Jerusalem Day flag march next week, Israel Hayom has learned. 

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According to law enforcement officials, terror groups in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority are using social media to spread fake news about the IDF's Operation Shield and Arrow in an effort to incite Arab Israelis to riot.

"Behind the scenes, there is a national effort to curb and deal with incitement to terrorism," one source said. The terrorists seek to "enflame the region and push Arab Israelis to demonstrate and protest, which is why our mission is to maintain calm." 

The efforts are led by a special team in charge of dealing with incitement to terrorism and violence, which was established by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shortly after taking office. It includes officers of the police, the State Attorney's Office, and the Shin Bet security agency. 

Since its establishment just a few months ago, it has already identified 372 posts, of which 163 included incitement to terrorism. Sixty-three investigations were launched and 18 individuals were arrested, against five of whom indictments have already been filed. 

Terror groups are essentially looking for a repeat of Operation Guardian of the Walls when the Israeli military not only had to deal with an escalation in Gaza but Israel's mixed cities as well. 

Violent riots by Arab Israelis led to nighttime curfews, such as in the mixed city of Lod, and even lynches against Jews, which led to the death of one Israeli. 

Again, "we see that the intention is to harness Arabs Israelis and take them out to demonstrate or confront the security forces," a senior police officer told Israel Hayom. 

He said efforts to counter fake and inciting information have already proved successful. "This worked well during Ramadan, and our explanatory videos against the terror organizations were distributed throughout the entire Middle East." 

Ben-Gvir also addressed the matter on Thursday, saying, "The war on incitement to terrorism is always important, all the more so on days like this, such as Jerusalem Day, when incitement is increased." 

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The leader of the US-based anti-vaxxer group Vaccine Police is touting the ultimate do-it-yourself cure for COVID-19 and claiming that anyone who contracts the virus can cure themselves by drinking their own urine.

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According to a report on the Daily Beast, Christopher Key is an advocate of what he calls "urine therapy." Key has posted a video to his Telegram account in which he says that urine is an appropriate treatment for COVID, claiming: "The antidote that we have seen now, and we have tons and tons of research, is urine therapy. OK, and I know to a lot of you this sounds crazy, but guys, God's given us everything we need."

It should be noted that the accepted use of the term "antidote" is in reference to a medicine that counteracts a specific poison, not a virus.

Key has called vaccines a "crime against humanity" and a "biological weapon" and called for pharmacists who administer vaccines to be executed.

The body produces urine as a way of ridding itself of nitrogen-rich byproducts of the metabolic process, such as urea, uric acid, and creatinine. There is also no scientific evidence to date that indicates that ingesting urine can cure or prevent any illness.

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The Arab Israeli sector is less than thrilled with the performance thus far of the Bennett-Lapid government, a new political survey conducted by the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation in the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University reveals.

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Respondents also rated the governments' attempts to contain rampant crime in the Arab sector very low (2.13 on a scale of 1-5).

How does the Arab public in Israel view the Ra'am Party joining the coalition? A total of 40.5% said they thought that the move by Ra'am would inspire more Arab voter turnout in the next election, whereas 22.7% said they thought it would lead to decreased voter turnout.

When asked if they would vote in Knesset elections if they were held now, nearly two-thirds (61.1%) of respondents said they would vote, compared to 32.9% who said they would not vote.

A large majority of respondents (71.4%) said they supported the reformation of the Joint Arab List ticket, which until the last election included the parties Hadash, Ta'al, Balad, and Ra'am. Only 23.7% said that they did not support the idea of reforming the list.

Slightly more than half (51%) of respondents said they do not expect the current coalition to last four years, compared to 29.1% who said they expected the government to last its elected four-year term.

On a scale of 1-5, the average grade respondents gave the government was 2.37. When asked how much faith they had in the government's plans to fight crime in Arab communities, the grade was also low: 2.13 on a scale of 1-5. Their grade for the government's five-year plan to invest in the Arab sector was similarly low: 2.29.

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More than half (56.2%) of respondents said that Ra'am should ask for a ministerial or deputy-minister position in the cabinet, and not be satisfied with coalition membership.

Slightly more than half (51.8%) of respondents said that the wave of rioting and attacks in mixed cities that erupted during Operation Guardian of the Wall against Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip in May of this year had caused severe damage to relations between Arabs and Jews in Israel.

When it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 23.7% of respondents said they believed the ideal solution would be a two-state plan based on Israel's 1967 borders, whereas another 26% said they thought the best solution to the conflict would be a single Jewish-Palestinian state. Interestingly, 37.9% said they foresaw no solution in the near future and expected the situation to remain as it is.

When asked if they believed that the Abraham Accords normalizing ties between Israel and Arab states would help stabilize the Middle East, 63.2% of respondents said that they did not expect the accords to do anything to promote a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, but 55.8% said they believed that the accords were a "positive development" for Israel's Arab citizens.

According to Dr. Arik Rodnitzky, "The new survey illustrates the changes taking place in Arab society, which on one hand wants to increase the rate of integration into Israeli society and be a major player in the coalition and the government, and on the other expresses a lack of trust in the government and its abilities to change the reality and take care of Arab citizens' well-being."

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The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police will establish a special Border Police unit that will help tackle violence in mixed cities.

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The decision comes as part of lessons learned from May's conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip during which several cities in Israel were shook by riots of Arab residents, when police were overwhelmed and ill-equipped to deal with the violence.

Although the IDF regularly moved Border Police units from Judea and Samaria to the cities after the riots began, this was only a temporary solution.

Following Operation Guardian of the Walls, the IDF and the Israel Police worked to draw lessons from the conflict for the future. It was immediately decided to transfer command over Border Police units from the military to the police, as well as draw upon troops from the Home Front Command to replace police to secure IDF bases and convoys.

As for the new Border Police units, they will consist of reservists who until now mostly served in "regular" military units, usually in infantry or border defense.

The new unit will be jointly funded by the military and the police. The IDF will be responsible for recruiting and training the reservists, and the Israeli Police will authorize them as reservist Border Police officers.

The unit will participate in ongoing operational activities in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem, and, if required, operate under the Israel Police for internal security missions, such as preventing violent riots in mixed cities.

"This is a solution that will benefit everyone," one senior official said. "The IDF will gain more skilled troops that can operate in Judea and Samaria and the police will gain more skilled troops that can assist in internal security."

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Right-wing lawmakers expressed outrage Thursday against Public Security Minister Omer Barlev and the government, claiming that instead of fighting terrorism in Judea and Samaria they incited violence against Jewish settlers.

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The harsh criticism came against the backdrop of Thursday's deadly terrorist attack in which 25-year-old Yehuda Dimantman from the Homesh settlement was killed, and an earlier incident in which Barlev was criticized for discussing perceived settler violence against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria with a senior US diplomat.

"At the peak of a terror wave, the failed government of [Prime Minister Naftali] Bennett, [Foreign Minister Yair] Lapid, and Barlev are busy inciting against the settlers," the Likud said in a statement, demanding that Arab MK "Mansour Abbas and Ra'am condemn the Samaria terrorist attack in Arabic on their Facebook and Twitter accounts, without conditions and excuses. After they received 53 billion shekels from Bennett, this is the least they can do."

Likud MK Shlomo Karhi said, "Omer Barlev should resign now and stand trial, before more Jews are harmed and murdered because of his incitement."

Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir also criticized the government, "When Defense Minister [Benny] Gantz follows a lax policy and minister Barlev slanders Israel and attacks the settlers shamelessly, the terrorists smell weakness, do not shy away and rear their heads. The lax policies of Barlev and Gantz and a government that relies on the Muslim Brotherhood lead to terrorist attacks. Barlev's words led to the attack. Words can kill."

Bennett vowed to 'settle the score' with the perpetrators, who managed to escape after the attack.

Gantz also echoed this sentiment, tweeting the following statement: "I would like to express my condolences to the family of the terror victim killed in Judea and Samaria this evening, and wish a speedy recovery to those who suffered injuries in the attack. Security forces will catch the perpetrator.

"We will increase our vigilance and readiness to thwart terror in Judea and Samaria, and will continue to take any measures necessary in facing terror groups in the area," he said.

Condolences and wishes for a speedy recovery poured in from lawmakers.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said, "Palestinian terrorism once again demonstrates that the war on the land of Israel has not ended and that the settlers of Judea and Samaria constitute a defensive wall of the State of Israel … The security forces will lay their hands on the heinous murderers who have not yet come to terms with a Jewish presence in the land of Israel."

Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar said, "Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria throughout the years have been the target of Palestinian violence and murder and sacrificed a heavy price to establish our hold in the heart of the country."

Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted, "Terrorism cannot be tolerated … We will spare no effort, time, and finances to thwart terrorism and arrest the terrorists. There is no coalition and opposition when it comes to the fight on terror, we will join hands to wage a powerful and uncompressing war [on terrorism]."

Barlev also posted on Twitter following the attack, "A tragic attack [happened] near Homesh this evening, Palestinian terrorism rears its ugly head again," Barlev tweeted. "My condolences to the family and the loved ones of the murdered yeshiva boy, and a speedy recovery to the wounded."

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