#sarah jama

[hassibah]

It really shouldn't have taken this long to see a defense of Sarah in Canadian media after so many articles were written slandering her in the last two weeks. This was only published yesterday, the same day Sarah tweeted that her and her staff will be closing their office and working remotely due to the threats received.

So many supposed progressives that sat back and let her be attacked and harrassed including NDP leadership are responsible for this as well as the scumbags attacking her:

That standing up for Palestinians invites pushback is no secret. A report by Independent Jewish Voices Canada last October researching the repression faced by academics, students and Palestine solidarity activists, described the chilling effect of speaking up for Palestinian rights in the country. Journalists have spoken out about being silenced on this issue. Teachers have revealed a culture of fear keeping them from tackling Palestinian issues through an anti-oppression lens.

Just last week, an Ontario doctor was suspended from a Richmond Hill hospital and doxed after he posted views in support of Palestine on social media.

Before this latest Hamas attack, supporting Palestinians was too often falsely equated with antisemitism. Now it is also being equated to supporting terrorism.

The right-wing Israeli lobby group B’nai Brith asked the Halton school board to ban “clothing, signs, banners and flags that glorify Palestinian terror groups …” I can see not wanting a Hamas flag, but what is this overly broad category of “clothing” that the B’nai Brith now seeks to ban? Kuffiyehs worn by civilians?

After the Egyptian swimmer Abdelrahman Sameh dedicated his World Cup Gold medal to Palestinians this week, the Israel Swimming Association urged World Aquatics — swimming’s governing body — to “take action against swimmers who support terrorism.”

In the same vein, Doug Ford, the man who once needed to invoke his Jewish doctor, dentist and lawyer to fend off criticisms of antisemitism, first accused Jama of antisemitism. Then he wildly blamed the NDP for not holding Jama accountable for “publicly supporting the rape and murder of innocent Jewish people.”

That is an overreach by any stretch. The premier and his party, which desperately needs a distraction from the criminal investigation into the Greenbelt land swap, then sought to censure Jama, which would block her from asking questions of Ford in the legislature.

This is rank political opportunism that serves to quash dissent.

Jama’s threat to sue Ford represents the drawing of a line in the sand, a gauntlet thrown down and a sentiment that says: “Enough.”

[doorhine]

December 20, 2023

[immaculatasknight]

Defying the mob

[communistkenobi]

the NDP ousting the one pro-palestinian mpp is the line for me lol. not voting for you cunts ever again

[pandemichub]

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Niles Niemuth

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) escalated their campaign to crackdown on and suppress protests against the Gaza genocide last week with the announcement of a second arrest in relation to a March 7 protest. In addition to mischief charges which could bring up to 10 years in prison, the two demonstrators are facing charges of “disguise with intent” for wearing medical masks which protect from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases during the protest. This latter “offence” also carries a maximum sentence of a decade in prison.

“While demonstrations may end, investigations into criminal activity continue and we pursue all leads to hold individuals accountable,” Toronto Police Chief Myron Demikw declared in a statement Tuesday on X. He then boasted, “Over the last year we have made 80 demonstration-related arrests and laid 124 charges. Arrests can happen at any time after an offence.”

Tens of thousands in Toronto and across Canada have turned out to protest week after week for more than a year as Israel, with the backing of American imperialism and Ottawa, has carried out its ethnic cleansing operation in Gaza launched in the aftermath of the October 7 uprising led by Hamas. Protesters’ demands that the trade union-backed Liberal Trudeau government press for a ceasefire and stop arming Israel have been rebuffed, with Trudeau and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly instead smearing protesters opposing genocide as “antisemites.”

Pro-Palestinian protest encampments erected by students, faculty and supporters on campuses across Canada have been broken up by court injunctions and police raids. The deployment of far-right Zionist vigilante groups on campus to provide “security” has been openly encouraged by the federal government, with a new law passed enabling private security firms to access government funding. Groups in line to profit from this funding stream include Magen Herut, whose members must be Zionists and have experience in policing or military service, and Shomrim, an international vigilante group present in Hasidic communities. Magen Herut members have “patrolled” at anti-genocide protests, where they have surveilled and intimidated participants.

Immediately upon Israel’s launch of its genocidal onslaught on Gaza, Canada’s political establishment closed ranks to launch a vicious witchhunt against anyone who spoke out against the mass slaughter. The New Democrats, who were in a confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals at the time, threw Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament Sarah Jama out of their parliamentary caucus because she issued a statement declaring her solidarity with the Palestinians and accusing Israel of apartheid, an accusation supported by the United Nations. Trudeau has repeatedly sought to intimidate protesters by repeating the lies of extreme Zionist forces, including in February when he accused demonstrators of being antisemites merely because they marched past Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital.

With the backing of the governments of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Tory Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Demikw and the TPS have launched a far reaching campaign of harassment and arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters under the title “Project Resolute.” The Breach published an investigation in June which revealed the extensive character of the secretive political policing operation, which has included early morning raids, trumped-up charges and efforts to turn protesters into informants.

The police operations have gone hand in hand with the efforts of the political establishment to smear protesters as “antisemitic.” Eleven people were arrested last November in relation to a postering protest against the CEO of Indigo Books, who happens to be Jewish, over her campaign to support the Israel Defense Forces, with the police insinuating that their actions were “hate motivated.”

Demikw and TPS have been carrying out their crackdown in coordination with the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada’s premier spy agency.

Faisal Ibrahim, 38, was arrested and charged on October 19 with one count of mischief, interfering with property and a count of disguise with intent in relation to the March 7 protest. A research assistant and teaching assistant at the University of Toronto, Ibrahim had been targeted by Zionist social media pages for his pro-Palestinian activism before being charged by TPS.

Rachelle Friesen, 38, of the Student Christian Movement of Canada and Community Peacemaker Teams, was charged on October 1 with two counts of mischief that obstructs, interrupts or interferes with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property and one count of disguise with intent in relation to pro-Palestinian protests on November 13, 2023 and March 7, 2024.

After living in Israel for five years, including four as Peace Program Coordinator with the Mennonite Central Committee, Friesen was deported from the country in 2014 and banned for 10 years for her advocacy on behalf of the Palestinians.

Protesters interrupted the Scotiabank Giller Prize gala at the Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville on November 13, 2023 to protest the bank’s complicity in the Gaza genocide. Evan Curle and Maysam Abu Khreibeh, both 25, and Fatima Hussain, 23, were charged at the time with obstructing, interrupting, or interfering with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property and using a forged document.

March 7, meanwhile, was a day of action by students and others protesting RBC and calling for the bank to divest from support for Israel, respect Indigenous sovereignty and end financing for the Trans Mountain Expansion and Coastal Gas Link pipelines.

The police claim that both Friesen and Ibrahim “wore medical masks to conceal their identity” during a March 7 protest in Midtown Toronto and that their participation prevented an employee from entering her workplace and forced her to leave the area in fear of her safety.

In another recent effort to suppress the protests, the Trudeau government in coordination with the Biden administration in the United States banned the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as a “terrorist entity” and placed sanctions on activist Khaled Barakat.

Samidoun has organized protests in opposition to the Gaza genocide across Canada. Its international coordinator Charlotte Kates was arrested in April in Vancouver following a speech in which she led the crowd in a chant of “Long live October 7th” and advocated for the delisting of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and other groups as terrorist organizations. The organization’s listing as a terrorist entity resulted in its bank accounts being frozen and make it difficult for members to travel internationally.

The unanimous endorsement of Israel’s genocide within the political establishment has introduced a climate of fear and censorship into Canadian cultural life. In the latest example of this, the Aurora Cultural Center north of Toronto closed down an exhibit titled Expressions of Critical Thought after one day this month due to complaints of “antisemitism” on social media because some of the works on display referenced Palestine. The Center told the artists in an October 4 email that the show was being censored due to “concerns raised by members of our community regarding the traumatic responses to some of the artworks.”

“I feel what they did contributes to the consistent dehumanization of Arabs in general,” Iraqi-Canadian artist Hala Alsalman told Hyperallergic. “I’m the only Arab who was showing, but obviously it’s not just me, it’s all of us.” Chantal Hassard, a co-curator of the show and grandchild of Holocaust survivors, noted that there was nothing antisemitic about the art on display and the claims were a “dangerous mischaracterization of the term.”

[eretzyisrael]

by Gabriel Gaysinsky

In Canada, an open letter by city councilor Susan Kim and provincial parliament member Sarah Jama dismissed accusations of rape by Hamas as misinformation. This letter was endorsed by the head of the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Center. After facing significant backlash, Jama doubled down, blaming the “Zionist lobby” for pressuring the Canadian government into reprimanding her.

At the United Nations, it took eight weeks for an official condemnation of Hamas’ rapes to be released by UN Women. Sarah Douglas, Deputy Chief of Peace and Security at UN Women, has endorsed 153 tweets attacking Israel and Zionists, and attended UN meetings with pro-Palestine posters, violating UN neutrality guidelines. Suffice it to say that a key leader in the UN’s initiative to uplift women is actively working against the very women she is charged with uplifting.

The traditionally progressive Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, particularly its Chicago chapter, has also faced criticism for endorsing terrorism. Mere hours after the release of the first October 7th footage, BLM Chicago posted a tweet with a hang-glider image, referencing Hamas terrorists who used hang-gliders to attack and kill hundreds of partygoers at the Nova Music Festival. This blatant support for a violent attack on innocent civilians by an organization that has committed itself to the fight for equality is shocking, especially considering the fact that Hamas has held Avera Mengistu, a mentally ill Ethiopian-Israeli man, in captivity since 2014.

On college campuses, the situation is dire. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UC Davis, the university I attend, justified the October 7th attack and glorified the attackers. Their rallies have featured slogans like “We don’t want no Jewish state” — which is a call for the eradication of Israel — and “Globalize the Intifada,” which calls for the violence of the intifadas to be repeated against Jewish communities worldwide. Professors also joined in; Jemma Decristo, a university faculty member, tweeted threatening messages against “Zionist journalists.” Another professor stated that “all Israeli residents are legitimate targets,” actively calling for violence against his own Israeli students and colleagues. After UC Davis students began an encampment mimicking those already established on other campuses, several professors reportedly required classes to attend the space, or have given extra credit for doing so, despite the fact that many Jewish and Israeli students are extremely uncomfortable with its messaging.

The aftermath of October 7th revealed that the hatred I experienced at my university is not unique. Higher education, while more radical, mirrors the outside world. The antisemitism and disregard for basic principles of human rights when it comes to Israelis might start on college campuses but can spread throughout society. I see this hate everywhere. Unless progressives worldwide undergo a fundamental shift that includes Jewish and Israeli voices, I will never call myself a progressive again.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Now sitting as an independent after being removed from the Ontario NDP caucus, MPP Sarah Jama — the voice of Hamilton Centre — is effectively silenced at Queen’s Park over statements she made on the Israel-Hamas war.

But where does that leave residents of her riding?

In an email to her constituents Tuesday evening, Jama reaffirmed her commitment to residents saying the censure “doesn’t mean I cannot advocate around issues important to Hamilton Centre.”

Full article

For the record, she was removed from the Ontario NDP over a tweet calling for a ceasefire in Palestine in which she recognized Israel and Canada as colonial states. That's all she did, and now she's been booted from the NDP and formally censured by the Ontario government.

Commentary from Samira @politicsofcanada

[hassibah]

The censure vote passed today in addition to her being expelled from the NDP caucus.

All because of this statement:

Sarah stated the words below today:

Thirteen days ago, I called for an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation by the Israeli government, which had begun a horrific siege on Palestinians in Gaza. Since I made that statement, Israel has only escalated its assault on millions of Gazans.

The Israeli Defence Forces have killed thousands of Palestinians, destroyed residential areas, and ordered the evacuation of at least 20 hospitals in northern Gaza. Israel is telling people who are already injured, sick, and dying in hospitals in Gaza to leave.

Since I made my statement, Israel has bombed refugee camps, UN schools, hospitals,  airports & the Rafah border crossing between Gaza & Egypt. The unspeakable destruction continues, & represents collective punishment against all Gazans in retaliation for attacks by Hamas.

The Ford government has nothing meaningful to say about these atrocities, and has now targeted me to distract from its own scandals. Those of us committed to Palestinian life refuse to be distracted.

I restate my call for an immediate ceasefire by Israeli forces, and for the immediate restoration of food, water, fuel, and electricity to Gaza. I applaud the many elected officials in Canada who have joined this call in recent days, and I hope even more of you will speak out.

I ground my words in the realities of Israeli apartheid, and Israel’s ongoing domination and occupation of Palestinian lands.  Governments and institutions in Canada are trying to use their weight to silence us, to silence workers, students, educators, and peace-loving people who dare to support Palestine. To every person taking risks to speak up for Palestinian dignity and safety, I see you, I hear you, and I am with you.

[erismourn]

CANADIANS LOOKING TO SUPPORT PALESTINE:

>>HERE<< is a link to a document outlining actions you can take aside from turning out to protests. many of them are petitions that take less than a minute to sign and only require your name and email

action items include:

a petition to the prime minister

emailing your member of parliament with a template

a protest against the censuring of mpp sarah jama and her removal from the ndp caucus

there's more in the document! please read, share, and take action!

palestine will be free in our lifetimes!

[buckcluck67]

jamas Sarah mandy and norman new series 16

[immaculatasknight]

Canada's political humiliation

[lantern-hill]

Outpourings of shock and sympathy flooded Canada’s political landscape in the days following Hamas’ October 7 surprise attack on Israel. Parliament’s Peace Tower had the Israeli flag projected onto it, while the CN Tower shone blue and white at the top of every hour. Leaders of every political party, federal and provincial alike, issued statements condemning Hamas’ terror attacks in the strongest terms. Not to be outdone by his peers, Justin Trudeau declared, “Let me be very clear: Hamas terrorists aren’t a resistance. They’re not freedom fighters. They’re terrorists.” Full stop. Predictably, hardly a word of sympathy was uttered for Palestinians in Gaza, who were almost immediately being bombed, and soon had their water and power shut off. Ontario MPP Sarah Jama dared to mention Israel’s occupation, calling for an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation. She was promptly reprimanded by her party and forced to issue a more “balanced” statement—one decrying Hamas unequivocally—amid cries for her resignation. The crime of regarding Israel with anything other than reverence bears a heavy price. [...] The purpose of journalism was once to provide people with clarity and facts amidst uncertainty; to furnish them with alternative narratives that are not politically motivated, but are motivated rather by the discovery and dissemination of truth. Yet if you looked to the media for such answers following Hamas’ attack, what you instead found was journalists amplifying the mainstream political narrative. In some cases, they offered suggestions, thinly veiled as questions, as to what the government should do with Canadians exercising their freedom of expression in support of Palestinians. “What do you say to Canadians,” CBC Power & Politics host David Cochrane asked Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, “who might go to a protest that critics say is purporting to celebrate what Hamas has done? I mean, should these protests be happening? There have been some calls by others to maybe find a way to prosecute this over supporting terrorism.”

[dovahkiin-official]

Ontario voter here, usually NDP voter. I’m glad stuff went through the house to make some promises on Israel-Gaza, but at the same time, all I’m thinking about with the NDP is how they treated Sara Jana (Ontario MPP) for how she stood up for these same ideals. It really put me off them, and it was eye-opening to me as a new Canadian just how much political capture there is from Israel.

I’m conflicted, but I guess that a change in NDP policy, six months later, at least shows that there’s some flexibility in thinking and their ideals, but mostly I’m thinking about how it’s just pandering to populism - which is another conflicting idea, because parties and government SHOULD represent its citizens.

Not intending to sway thinking one way or another; I’m writing here to try and figure out my own thinking. A third party is important. I just don’t think it is as important to vote for a party as it is to vote for a person, unless we’re looking for tactical and strategic wins (ie blocking Tories or other parties with policies I disagree with).

What do you think?

I'm not really familiar with the Ontario candidates so I just looked up Sarah Jama just now. I find it unfortunate what happened. Back in October, it was very difficult to speak out against Israel compared to now. That doesn't make it right, but it does make more sense with that context. I'm glad the NDP have shifted their opinion on this. Populism? Perhaps, I agree with you there.

I think I agree with you on most things except strategic voting. The first time I voted it was for Trudeau because I didn't want Harper to win. I've come to regret that decision a lot, because I don't support a lot of the things he's done. I would rather vote for someone who will do things I find conscionable. In some cases, that might be an independent.

I think some concessions are expected when it comes to negotiating with the Liberals, and I think NDP has better odds of negotiating with them than an independent, but that's just my view on things.

[communistkenobi]

this website has a list of pro-Palestinian organisations across Canada, I encourage any Canadians following me to get on the mailing list of your local association as they send out information about letters you can send parliament and provincial governments in protest of Canada’s support for Israel, as well as information about local pro-Palestine demonstrations. I found mine pretty easily by google searching Palestine support [my city]. There has been some local resistance from MPPs about the ongoing Palestinian genocide (such as Sarah Jama in Ontario). from my experience these associations send you information about how to support local politicians who are pro-Palestine, such as sending thank you letters to their offices

the Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East is asking people to send a pre-drafted letter to Trudeau to push for a ceasefire and to denounce support for Israel. They haven’t met their target of 18k letters yet!