The Minister of Post-Secondary Education in the government of British Columbia, Selina Robinson, resigned from her position following her controversial remarks about the land on which the current state of Israel was born.

Robinson had said last Tuesday, in a virtual meeting organized by the Jewish service organization "B'nai B'rith" with public figures from the Jewish community, that the state of Israel saw the light on a "crappy piece of land" in 1948.

Devy Eby, leader of the New Democratic Party government in British Columbia (BC NDP), announced today the resignation of his minister.

But Eby pointed out that Robinson will remain within his left-leaning party's parliamentary caucus.

Dozens of protesters gathered today in front of a hotel in the city of Surrey, in greater Vancouver, on the occasion of the New Democratic Party holding a retreat for its deputies, demanding the departure of Minister Robinson from the government.

"No place for racism against Palestinians," the protesters chanted.

Some protesters tried to enter the retreat venue to give the Minister of Post-Secondary Education "educational resources" and a petition signed by 11,000 people demanding her resignation, but security prevented them from entering.

"In 1948, my grandparents were forced to leave their home and were never able to return," said Aisha Jamil, one of the organizers of the demonstration.

The "British Columbia Students' Alliance" (ABCS) announced today, in a press release, joining the movement demanding Robinson's resignation, following demands from the British Columbia Post-Secondary Teachers’ Union and the Canadian Association of University Teachers for this matter.

We are concerned about the hurtful statements made by the Minister of Post-Secondary Education regarding pre-1948 Palestine.

For her part, Minister Robinson repeated her apology today before the announcement of her resignation, stating in a statement that she agrees that her departure is for the best.

"My words were inappropriate and wrong, and I now realize how they contributed to Islamophobia and racism against Palestinians," said Robinson, who is considered one of the most prominent Jewish politicians in British Columbia, in her statement.

At a time when innocent people are being killed, including Palestinians and Jews who have families in British Columbia, those in positions of power are responsible for bringing people together. Instead, my comments did the opposite and contributed to creating more division.

The resigning minister pledged to learn from her mistake, especially by undergoing training on combating Islamophobia.