Jan 9, 2023
TORONTO – B’nai Brith Canada is pleased to disclose the removal of postings by Firas Al-Najim from TikTok after it reported his account for violating the platforms community guidelines.
“We are delighted to have established a good rapport with TikTok,” said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada. “We brought to TikTok’s attention Al-Najim’s problematic content and we were encouraged by the platform’s response to our concerns.”
Al-Najim, who resides in Ontario, is the head of a group that calls itself Canadian Defenders 4 Human Rights (CD4HR). Al-Najim praises Ayatollah Khamenei and Iran’s theocratic regime and lionizes Qasem Soleimani, who was one of the most prominent members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), noted by Canada recently as being a terrorist entity. Soleimani was assassinated by the United States in 2020.
“Firas Al-Najim used his TikTok platform to disseminate vitriolic content that praised the Iranian regime and shared misinformation in attempts to shame Zionists,” Mostyn said. “His TikTok content regularly included his attempts to exorcise Canadian Jews as it contained footage of him and his associates harassing Jewish members of the public.
“Al-Najim’s postings frequently crossed the line of what constitutes acceptable free speech. Needless to say, B’nai Brith Canada favours free speech and justifiable criticisms. But when postings are potentially harmful and dangerous, the line absolutely must be drawn and, thankfully, TikTok has done just that.”
Al-Najim was charged by York Regional Police last October with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police and possession of a dangerous weapon.
Last July, police intervened at a plaza in Thornhill, Ont., where Al-Najim aggressively protested in front of a store that sells Israeli goods. Last October, police became involved when he verbally harassed an elderly Holocaust survivor in Toronto for supporting Israel.
Last summer, Al-Najim was rebuked by MP Iqra Khaled and Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie. At a public event, he unfurled an anti-Israel banner behind the two politicians without their knowledge and had a supporter take a photo, later implying that the two supported his message.
In a statement on her web site, Crombie said she took great exception to the sign displayed in the background and its message. She said any comparison to the Holocaust diminishes the memory of its victims.
More recently, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens condemned Al-Najim for disseminating a 4-year-old photograph taken at a picnic and suggesting Dilkens and he were together at a recent event to support Hezbollah, a banned terrorist group. Dilkens accused Al-Najim of clearly attempting to foster animosity and discord.
B’nai Brith will continue to work with all social-media platforms in efforts to pre-empt hateful content.
