Cafe owners charged for staging hate crime, robbery

WINNIPEG – Winnipeg police have arrested and charged the three owners of a local cafe for staging racist graffiti and a robbery that occurred at the bistro.

On April 18, a robbery at BerMax Caffe and Bistro on Corydon Ave near Centennial Street was reported to WPS. The cafe was also hit by anti-Semitic graffiti.

Investigators believe the robbery and vandalism were staged by the BerMax owners.

Police have arrested Alexander Berent, 56, Oxana Berent, 48, and Maxim Berent, 29.

All three have been charged with public mischief for an “intent to mislead, causes a peace officer to enter on or continue an investigation based on a false statement or causing another person to be suspected of having committed an offense to divert suspicion from themselves.”

Staging a hate crime is particularly upsetting to the Chief of Police, Danny Smyth, who is angry at the false allegations. He says falsely reporting a hate crime trivializes the trauma that real victims endure.

“On behalf of B’nai Brith Canada, I would like to convey how shocked and disturbed we were to learn that police concluded Wednesday the recent attack at BerMax Caffé in Winnipeg, initially described as antisemitic, was staged,” wrote B’nai Brith Canada National Director Ran Ukashi in an emailed statement.

“Making false allegations of antisemitism does nothing to quell the rise of racism and discrimination in Winnipeg and across Canada and will embolden the conspiracy theorists and purveyors of anti-Jewish hatred who blame the entirety of society’s ills on the Jewish community. Moreover, it harms the efforts of human rights organizations such as B’nai Brith Canada to combat instances of bigotry whenever it rears its head.”

Ukashi goes on to say this incident should not deter anyone from fighting against discrimination in all forms.