Kayla Gerber said the assault happened on Monday, on her way back from a friend's house. She said she wasn't wearing a hijab, but she was bundled up in a winter scarf that covered her head to guard against the cold.

She said she was on her way to a subway station when she noticed a man walking in the other direction who kept looking at her. She told BuzzFeed Canada that when he got close, he grabbed her by the jacket and pushed her against a wall, demanding she give him what she had in her pockets.

"I was like, 'I have nothing in my pockets,' and he grabbed me by my jacket ... and pushed me against the wall and said, 'You need to get your fucking hijab off and get the fuck out of the country!' Over and over again."