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This is the best summary I could come up with:
The hate motivation aspect of the charge β if it had been proven β would have applied as an aggravating factor at sentencing if Cooley was found guilty.
That news was welcomed by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), who released a statement after the stay of charges was announced.
In a statement on Nov. 7 announcing Cooley's arrest, police said members of their diversity response team and public safety unit met with protesters before their event at Calgary city hall "to ensure the safety of the participants, the public and our police officers, and to discuss some of the language and signage observed at past protests."
Amro said her group was told by police before the protest began that the phrase, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," was being looked at by the Crown prosecutor as potential hate speech.
"We asked the question directly, would anyone be charged on that particular day, Sunday, Nov. 5, for saying and chanting the phrase β¦ and the answer we received was no," Amro said in an interview.
The behaviour that led to charges was considered in the context of the specific situation, all of which is broader than a single phrase, gesture, sign or symbol in isolation," the statement said.
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