Finally Placing Samidoun on the U.S./Canada Terror List

"His [Khaled Barakat, Samidoun founder] fundraising and recruitment efforts support the PFLP's terrorist activity against Israel."

"[The United States is designating Samidoun a] sham charity that serves as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [PFLP] terrorist organization."

"The PFLP, which was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. Department of State in October 1997 and October 2001, respectively, uses Samidoun to maintain fundraising operations in both Europe and North America."

U.S. State Department press release 

"Organizations like Samidoun masquerade as charitable actors that claim to provide humanitarian support to those in need, yet in reality divert funds for much-needed assistance to support terrorist groups."

Acting Under-Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley T. Smith

Charlotte Kates, in Tehran two weeks ago, accepts the Iranian human right award  Iran International

 

The Vancouver-based anti-Israel organization has finally been listed by Canada, after much campaigning by Canadian Jewish groups, some pro-Israel-supporting Members of Parliament and editorials in a number of Canadian newspapers. What finally forced the Trudeau Liberal government to act was not the terrorist charity's organization of hundreds of rallies and protests decrying Israel's very existence while making life dangerous for Jews in Canada through its incitements of hate, but the over-reach by Samidoun revealing the scope of its program.

When the hate group encouraged and guided its followers to declare themselves fully in support of Hamas and Hezbollah, declaring fealty to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah and other non-government terrorist militias from Iraq and Syria to Lebanon and Gaza, insisting that 'imperial-colonialist' Canada must be defeated, and burning a Canadian flag to emphasize their point, prime minister Justin Trudeau no longer had any excuse to hide behind failing to recognize them for what they are.

"The listing of Samidoun as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code sends a strong message that Canada will not tolerate this type of activity, and will do everything in its power to counter the ongoing threat to Canada's national security and all people in Canada", announced Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc. It remains to be seen just how strenuously committed this government will be to 'do everything in its power' to destroy the malevolent effect this terror group has succeeded in producing in Canada, in its goal of destabilization and conquest.

Unbelievably, the group has enjoyed charitable status in Canada for years, long after it was repeatedly brought to the attention of the government that their activities created stark and dangerous divisions within Canadian society with no end in sight to their ambitious agenda of making Canada terror-central to the Palestinian networks of demonizing Israel, calling for its destruction, and hounding Jewish Canadians in public, while inciting to violence against Jewish institutions in Canada.

The US. government went a step further than Canada, in designating Barakat's wife Charlotte Kates, a director of Samidoun, a terrorist, while Khaled Barakat  himself has been identified as a ranking leadership member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. These Palestinian terrorist stalwarts last week organized a rally on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 terror attacks where attendees chanted "death to Canada", to which Samidoun later announced "we at Samidoun stand by this phrase as the call to action that it is".

Masked protesters set a Canadian flag on fire at the event, while a woman led chants of "We are Hezbollah and we are Hamas"; identifying with Lebanon and Gaza. The PFLP has been listed by Canada as a terrorist organization since 2003. Groups with a terrorist designation are prohibited from receiving financial services, donations of money, or property. 

Kates, who directly following the October 7 southern Israel atrocities perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists led by Hamas, praised the Hamas and Islamic Jihad savages at a rally: "We stand with the Palestinian resistance and their heroic brave action on October 7", she crowed. The Vancouver Police Department launched a hate-speech investigation as a follow-up to that event. It has been over  year that the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs lobbied government for Samidoun to be declared a terrorist organization, launching a petition with B'nai Brith Canada to have Kates and Barakat deported.

 

Screenshot showing the Facebook page of Samidoun Deutschland. November 03, 2023. (credit: SEAN GALLUP/GETTY IMAGES

"This process has not been tested in Canadian courts. A lot of the reason for that is because we are designating, for the most part, foreign entities. This is one of the only cases where I've seen a direct Canadian tie and a direct Canadian leader ... who will be directly affected by a terrorist listing."

"In the case of an organization like Samidoun, or really any listed terrorist entity, the question comes down to what the people are doing to support the organization."

"Just being a member of an organization is not a criminal offence in Canada. However, as soon as you cross the line into conducting any kind of support or sort of advancement activities that are fairly concrete, then  you come very close to facilitation [of a terrorist activity] and some of those activities."

Jessica Davis, counterterrorism expert, Carleton University