Earlier today, the Government of Canada listed Samidoun, also known as the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code. The listing is in concert with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s announcement of the designation of Samidoun as a specially designated global terrorist through its Executive Order.
Samidoun had already been listed as a terrorist entity by Germany. As outlined by the Canadian government, Samidoun has close links with and advances the interests of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is a listed terrorist entity in Canada, the United States and the European Union.
As a now-listed entity, Samidoun meets the definition of a “terrorist group” under Canada’s Criminal Code. The Criminal Code prohibits certain actions in relation to terrorist groups, including those related to terrorist financing, travel and recruitment.
There are three important things to observe in connection with this joint Canada-United States decision.
The press release of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control describes Samidoun as “a sham charity that serves as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization”. I urge the Canadian government to immediately address the implications of the decision for Samidoun as a registered non-profit corporation soliciting funds.
The U.S. also designated Khaled Barakat for having acted for or on behalf of the PFLP. Barakat, who is reportedly in Lebanon now, resides with Charlotte Kates, Samidoun’s central figure, in Vancouver. They are Canadian citizens. But these announcements require Canadian law enforcement to examine on a priority basis their personal roles in advancing terrorism in Canada and abroad.
Finally, more than five months ago, Charlotte Kates was arrested in Vancouver for hate speech crimes. No decision has yet been made, despite the passage of time, on whether charges will proceed. Recently Samidoun sponsored yet another hate rally in Vancouver. Both Kates and Barakat have also engaged over the years in activities in Ontario that clearly crossed the line into criminal hate activity.
Today’s announcement by the United States and Canada should prompt, as a high priority, a decision on the charges faced by Charlotte Kates in Vancouver and a criminal investigation into their activities across the country, particularly in Ontario where those activities are well documented.
About the Author
Mark Sandler, LL.B., LL.D. (honoris causa), ALCCA’s Chair, is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading criminal lawyers and pro bono advocates. He has been involved in combatting antisemitism for over 40 years. He has lectured extensively on legal remedies to combat hate and has promoted respectful Muslim-Jewish, Sikh-Jewish and Black-Jewish dialogues. He has appeared before Parliamentary committees and in the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions on issues relating to antisemitism and hate activities. He is a former member of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, a three-time elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, and recipient of the criminal profession’s highest honour, the G. Arthur Martin Medal, for his contributions to the administration of criminal justice.