December 18, 2023
OTTAWA – B’nai Brith Canada is reiterating its call for the Government to deport Khaled Barakat and his wife, Charlotte Kates, two prominent anti-Israel radicals living in this country.
Barakat is a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Canada lists as a terrorist entity. He has spoken at various anti-Israel conferences and rallies over the years, including a recent demonstration in Vancouver during which he glorified Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Kates, meanwhile, is listed as the director of a registered non-profit organization, Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, considered by many to be a proxy for the PFLP.
The couple were recently barred from entering the European Union because of their extremist activities. B’nai Brith has long advocated for Canada to take action against the pair, in addition to dissolving Samidoun for its ties to the PFLP. Our most recent petition containing these demands, initiated following Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, has obtained 8,500 signatures since launching in early December.
Last Wednesday, we wrote to Marc Miller, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, as well as François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, urging them to follow the recommendations outlined in our petition.
“Canadians have spoken,” said Michael Mostyn, B’nai Brith Canada’s Chief Executive Officer. “It is unacceptable that an admitted member of a terrorist entity has been permitted to enjoy the benefits of Canadian society for so long, while shamelessly spreading a radical ideology and endorsing the actions of listed terrorist entities in this country.
“If the Government is serious about confronting antisemitism and ideological extremism, it must immediately initiate proceedings to deport Barakat and Kates, as well as dissolve Samidoun.”
