On Tuesday the Liberal government listed Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as a terror entity. Made in conjunction with Washington, the move criminalizes the Vancouver-based grassroots solidarity group. It’s now illegal to finance or materially assist Samidoun.
After Israel labeled Samidoun a terror organization in 2021, Zionist groups and the National Post began pushing Ottawa to follow suit. But the Liberals wavered under pushback from the BC Civil Liberties Association, Canadian Union of Postal Workers and dozens of other civil society organizations. After October 7 the Conservatives launched a full court press to list Samidoun that seems to have tipped the scales.
Listing Samidoun is a direct attack against those opposing genocide. An August parliamentary petition calling on the government to list the organization began, “Samidoun Prisoners Solidarity Network (Samidoun) is viewed as one of the main groups behind anti-Israeli protest rallies that have been staged across Canada.” Immediately after its listing Zionists started denouncing individuals and organizations that have worked with Samidoun or its two principal organizers Charlotte Kates and Khaled Barakat. For its part, Samidoun criticized its listing as “meant to introduce a norm in which organizations may be designated as ‘terrorist’ for organizing demonstrations, lectures, publishing posters and engaging in entirely public and political work that challenges imperialist states’ complicity in Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
Notwithstanding the menacing “terror” label, no one claims Samidoun has engaged in any violence. Criticism of the group focused on its supports for Palestinian armed resistance and that someone burned a Canadian flag at a protest they co-organized October 7. But that isn’t illegal, let alone grounds to ban an organization. (more...)
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