Homeజాతీయ వార్తలుJewish groups want Ottawa to ban militia allegedly tied to Toronto shootings

Jewish groups want Ottawa to ban militia allegedly tied to Toronto shootings

Antisemitism rally by CIJA, with protester holding up signs.
Federation CJA & CIJA organized a rally in Montreal. Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette

Article content

U.S. prosecutors say a member of Kata’ib Hezbollah told an undercover officer that his people were behind recent shootings at a Toronto synagogue and the U.S. consulate. The pro-Iran Shia militia based in Iraq is not on Canada’s list of terrorist entities.

National Post

THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

  • Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
  • Unlimited online access to National Post.
  • National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
  • Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
  • Support local journalism.

SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

  • Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
  • Unlimited online access to National Post.
  • National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
  • Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
  • Support local journalism.

REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

  • Access articles from across Canada with one account.
  • Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
  • Enjoy additional articles per month.
  • Get email updates from your favourite authors.

THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

  • Access articles from across Canada with one account
  • Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
  • Enjoy additional articles per month
  • Get email updates from your favourite authors

Sign In or Create an Account

or

Article content

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Canadian Families of Victims of October 7 want it added, along with Palestine Action Canada and Masar Badil, in a campaign launching Friday on the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

Article content

Article content

Article content

None of the three is on the list, which Public Safety Canada last updated July 28.

Article content

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

Article content

One of the requests is already before the public safety minister after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wrote to Gary Anandasangaree on Aug. 2 asking him to recommend that Kata’ib Hezbollah be listed immediately. “Yet it is still not listed as a terrorist entity in Canada,” Poilievre wrote.

Article content

Listing is a Governor in Council decision, made on the public safety minister’s recommendation. Once a group is on the list, banks must freeze its money and it becomes a crime to knowingly handle its property, fund it, recruit for it or travel to join it.

Article content

Jacqui Rivers Vital, whose daughter Adi was killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, said that Canadians need to realize that eight of their fellow citizens were among the dead.

Article content

“Terrorism doesn’t end when an attack is over,” she said in a news release. “It leaves families forever changed and ripples through entire communities long after the headlines have disappeared.”

Article content

Noah Shack, chief executive of CIJA, said in an interview that the campaign is meant to galvanize Canadians and press Ottawa to ensure terrorists and their proxies “find no safe haven here in Canada.”

Article content

Article content

“We’re seeing a convergence of terrorism, criminal actors here in Canada, a rise of hate-motivated attacks, foreign entities contracting out shootings and potentially arson attacks as well,” he said. “It’s not only individuals who are targeted in acts of terror, it’s our way of life as Canadians that’s under threat.”

Article content

Article content

The campaign describes Kata’ib Hezbollah as having claimed responsibility for attacks in Canada. It cites a Global News report that Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, arrested in May for allegedly directing attacks in Europe, told an undercover officer that his people were behind the Toronto synagogue and consulate shootings earlier this year.

Article content

A federal threat assessment obtained by Global News under the Access to Information Act said a group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya had claimed responsibility for attacks in Europe, including an arson at a London synagogue. U.S. prosecutors allege that group is a front for Kata’ib Hezbollah.

Article content

Canadian authorities have not publicly linked the Toronto shootings to Iran, Global News reported.

Read More

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular

Recent Comments