Update – Individuals can sign on to this new statement from other groups: Open Letter in Support of Charlotte Kates and the Right to Free Expression
- Organizational endorsements of CPA statement can be sent to [email protected]
- (Coverage of statement on AlMayadeen English.)
The repression against Palestinians and their supporters has been mounting across Canada in recent months; in every major city, there are cases of fraudulent charges (often later dropped) brought against activists who dare to clearly challenge the Zionist narrative.
The latest of these politically motivated charges happened a few days ago in Vancouver BC, where Charlotte Kates, the international coordinator of Samidoun was briefly detained and charged with alleged “hate speech” offenses. She was released on the outrageous condition that she does not attend any “protests, rallies or assemblies” until the court date of October 8 (five months away). All this apparently for supporting the right of the Palestinian resistance to fight back against Zionist military oppression and saying “Long live October 7” during a rally speech on April 26.
The Zionist lobby has been on a witch-hunt against Kates, Samidoun and her husband, Khaled Barakat, for several years now. They have been pushing the federal government to include Samidoun on Canada’s “terrorist” list, and CIJA even included this demand as part of their last election platform. However, Kates questioning why Palestinian resistance groups are already on that same list is somehow unacceptable.
We are sick of the double standard at play here. Zionist groups are free to bring actual Israeli soldiers on campuses to offer their “insights from the ground”, their supporters are publicly declaring they are “arming themselves”, but someone daring to even show verbal support for the Palestinian right to resist foreign occupation and aggression is charged with “hate speech”!
Are our politicians not ashamed of the way they all line up to “pile on” and attack whoever the major pro-Israel groups decide is the current persona non grata? And that they do this within just a few hours of each other? From mayors to provincial premiers to federal politicians, time and again we have seen this pattern of rushing to condemn some specific protestor or group. Our politicians, and many of the mainstream media, seem to have no shame when it comes to proving their loyalty to the Zionist project.
Let’s discuss this issue of censuring anyone talking about October 7 (unless it enhances the Zionist narrative of course). It has nothing to do with concern for alleged “racism” or “hate crimes”. Rather, it has more to do with Israel trying to protect its veneer of military invincibility and its much-vaunted cyber security and intelligence. That is the real crux of all the misinformation and blatant (often later debunked) propaganda around what happened on October 7. This brief but decisive dismantling of the Israeli military deterrence is what now drives the revenge campaign of genocide going on in Gaza.
We will support and defend all our community activists. This is not the first case of fraudulent charges being brought against pro-Palestinian advocates and it won’t be the last. Although many of these charges are later dropped, the Zionist lobby groups engaging in this “lawfare” type activity have another agenda…to waste time and resources, to confuse the solidarity movement, and to create a “chill” and an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship.
We will not stand by nor stand down. Palestine will be Free!
Canada Palestine Association, Vancouver
Endorsed by:
Al-Jamia Masjid Vancouver
BDS Vancouver/Coast Salish Territories
Canadian BDS Coalition
Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
Greater Toronto 4 BDS (GTA4BDS)
Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste
Ontario Palestinian Rights Association (OPRA)
Palestinian and Jewish Unity Montreal
Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine Israel
The Regina Peace Council
The International League of Peoples’ Struggle in Canada (ILPS)
Anti-imperialist Alliance Ottawa
BCTF Divest Now
Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid Victoria
Communist Workers Circle Toronto
Human Rights for All (HR4A) Saskatoon
International Action Center
Palestine Action Heretaunga Aotearoa/New Zealand
Solidarité Sherbrooke-Gaza
Teachers for Future Turtle Island
United National Antiwar Coalition
SanctionsKill Campaign
Youth for Palestine Vancouver
Workers World Party
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Background Information and Premier David Eby’s Slander
The Zionist ethnic cleansing and genocide started with the 1948 Nakba, where two thirds of the Palestinian population were kicked out of their homeland and over five hundred towns and villages were wiped off the map of the world. Like today, this was accompanied by tens of brutal massacres, and 80% of the Gazan population are refugees from the original 1948 Nakba still waiting to return to their homes and properties. In 1956, Israel occupied Gaza and committed many massacres against the civilian unarmed population, one of these massacres was documented by the UN in Khan Yunis. In 1967 Gaza again came under Israel occupation alongside the West Bank and other Arab lands; since then, Israel is in violation of two UN Security Resolutions (242 and 338) that called on Israel to withdraw from all those occupied territories and called “For achieving a just settlement of the refugee problem”.
In January 2006, Hamas was elected and won 74 of the 132 seats (while Fatah trailed with 45) in the Palestinian legislative election. For almost twenty years, Gaza has been under tight Israeli siege and the scene of many brutal and fascist Israeli aggressions.
October 7, 2023 was not the start of the conflict, it came as a result of a continued Israeli Apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide and Israeli and western denial of Palestinian human and national rights.
Oct. 7 was a legitimate military operation against one of the most brutal and longest occupations in modern history. In fact, UN resolution A/RES/43/106 of Dec. 8, 1988 “Reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for their independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial domination, apartheid and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle;”
Israel, its lobby and apologists, in an attempt to cover up Israel’s military blunder, are trying to slander the Palestinian people and their resistance movement. They are also trying to criminalize those who recognize what the UN weapons inspector to Iraq, Scott Ritter, called “the most successful military raid of this century”. In a recent article he detailed Israel’s (and its apologists) lies, fabrications and propaganda; many other interviews/articles have also debunked this Israeli false narrative, especially reporters from The Grayzone and Electronic Intifada.
Nonetheless, Canadian corporate media and Canadian politicians on all levels of governments and political parties have rushed to parrot and amplify these manufactured claims. The level of complicity and lack of any critical judgement is shocking, and simply proves the unbreakable alliance between the Zionist state and the over-arching imperialist agenda to control the region and its resources.
The premier of British Colombia, David Eby, adopted the Zionist narrative from the beginning, with no regards for the Palestinian victims of this settler colonialist movement:
On Oct. 17, 2023 he was quoted as saying:
“There can be no justification for the brutality and terror Hamas visited on innocent victims. None…They are advocates for genocide,” Eby said. “Anyone who attempts to contradict this basic truth should rightfully be denounced … But let’s be clear about something else. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, not in Gaza, not in the West Bank. They don’t represent our Palestinian friends and neighbours living here in British Columbia.”
First, Mr. Eby, it is outrageous and unconscionable to accuse people who are supporting Palestinian liberation as “advocates for genocide”, your silence on Israeli genocide is complicity in it. The Palestinian people have been the victims of Israeli GENOCIDE for the past 76 years.
Second, Hamas and more accurately the Palestinian resistance movement did not engage in “brutality and terror”; it was a military operation to break the chains of their slavery and tormentation.
Third, yes Hamas does represent the Palestinian people, they were elected by the Palestinian people in 2006 by a larger majority than your NDP government. And NO, Palestinians living here in British Columbia don’t wish to be friends with such an anti-Palestinian racist and bigot.
Finally, your ignorance in conflating Israeli genocide and atrocities with the Jewish people actually promotes anti-Jewish racism.
More recently on April 30, Mr. Eby doubled down on his ignorance and was quoted as saying about the April 26 rally speech: “Celebrating the murder, the rape of innocent people attending a music festival, it’s awful,” … “It’s reprehensible, and it shouldn’t take place in British Columbia.” His slanderous accusation of rape is unsubstantiated, similar to the accusation of UNRWA workers participating in the Oct. 7 revolt. How long will we wait for Mr. Eby to publicly condemn and acknowledge the violence (including sexual violence) against Palestinian women and girls that Israeli soldiers continue to enact right now in Gaza?
If Mr. Eby thinks that his rampage against Palestinian liberation supporters will succeed and put a chill on the Palestinian support movement, he should think again. All he is doing is certifying himself as a committed Zionist and an anti-Palestinian RACIST.
Mr. Eby, we will remember your racism against the Palestinian people next provincial election and beyond.
Who crafted Canada’s bogus “terrorist list”? – Canada Palestine Association (cpavancouver.org)