OTTAWA — An Ontario court judge has granted a discharge to a British military veteran over an assault outside a military equipment show in the nation’s capital. David Henschel pleaded guilty last year to assaulting a young pro-Palestinian protester in 2024 at the annual CANSEC arms expo in Ottawa. Henschel was issued a $5,000 fine for failing to appear in person for his sentencing earlier this month and the Crown says it has filed for appeal. Henschel, who worked for a Swiss munitions firm, travelled to Canada for the convention from his home in Switzerland and had several tense exchanges with protesters while walking from his hotel to the venue. A young woman wearing a hijab approached him at one point and said attending the expo is tantamount to supporting genocide. Henschel hit her in the face with a backhanded blow and she dropped to the ground. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2026.
