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Hate crime probe launched after protesters clash in Vancouver

Police say ‘violence broke out’ between groups protesting war in the Middle East
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Police tape cordons off a crime scene in Vancouver, B.C., on April 9, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Police in Vancouver say they’ve launched a hate crime investigation after a clash between protesters with opposing views on war in the Middle East.

They say it happened outside the Vancouver Art Gallery Sunday night.

Police say in a statement that “violence broke out” between groups of protesters with differing views on the war between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

Police say a 34-year-old woman was injured and required medical attention after she was knocked to the ground, assaulted and subjected to antisemitic slurs.

They say the suspect ran away into the crowd, but officers later arrested a youth who has since been released, while the investigation continues.

An image posted to the Instagram account titled “Free Palestine BC” shows a protest was planned for Sunday evening calling for “resistance until liberation.”