The Canadian government has designated the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as a terrorist organization in joint action with the United States, both governments announced on Tuesday.
Samidoun, also known as the Palestinian Prisoners of War Solidarity Network, has close ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the two governments said in announcing the move.
PFLP is designated as a terrorist organization in Canada, the United States, and the European Union.
“Violent extremism, terrorism and terrorist financing have no place in Canadian society or abroad,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a news release. He added that the list “sends a strong message that Canada will not tolerate this type of activity.”
The U.S. Treasury Department has designated Samidoun as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.” In a statement, the ministry said it was declaring Samidoun a “fake charity organization” acting as an international fundraiser for the PFLP.
Last week, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poièvre called on the Canadian government to “ban” Samidoun.
These calls come on the heels of a protest organized by Samidoun in Vancouver to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The attack killed about 1,200 people and sparked an Israeli counterattack that killed about 41,000 people in the Gaza Strip.
A video of the protest that has gone viral online shows an unidentified masked woman leading a crowd of several hundred people chanting “Death to Canada, death to America, death to Israel” and one of the groups. The video showed members burning a Canadian flag.
CBC News has not independently verified the video of the rally posted online, but a CBC reporter passing by the rally clearly heard a speaker chanting “Death to Canada, Death to America.” He said he heard it.
Earlier this year, Charlotte Cates, Samidoun’s international coordinator, was arrested in a hate crimes investigation in Vancouver after praising the Oct. 7 attack as “heroic and brave.” Samidun also said of the attack:legitimate military operations. ”
Canada’s designation of Samidoun as a criminal terrorist organization means that certain activities associated with the group are illegal, including fundraising, travel and recruitment.
