A planned Remembrance Day-style vigil to honour deceased Hamas leader Yayah Sinwar has been cancelled after the Mayor of Mississauga denied that the organizing group and event in question existed.
Amid a torrent of calls from Canadians and Jewish rights groups for Mayor Carolyn Parrish to prevent and condemn the vigil honouring the “leaders of resistance” involved in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, the organization responsible for “Canadian Defenders 4 Human Rights” has announced the event has been cancelled.
This comes after Parrish responded via letter to Jewish advocacy groups such as B’nai Brith Canada’s concerns that the vigil would make Jewish residents unsafe given Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack.
In Parrish’s Friday letter, she said the city would allow the vigil for leaders of Hamas, a designated terrorist entity, as doing otherwise would infringe on the group’s Charter-protected rights to free expression.
Rich Robertson, the Director of Research and Advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, told True North in an interview that “Charter rights are not absolute,” and the first section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on “reasonable limitations clause” applies to the vigil in question.
“Limiting individual’s rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression to prevent them from promoting and glorifying the leaders and actions of a listed terror group as well within the jurisprudence of the charter,” he said.
Individuals on X also disputed the letter, saying Charter rights end when one openly advocates for terrorism and listed terrorist entities. Others said the letter to the Jewish community was poorly timed as it came during Shabbat.
Section 83 of the Canadian Criminal Code outlines several laws about terrorism and entities listed as such by Public Safety Canada. It bans the wilful participation, propagation of terrorist propaganda, and advocacy of terrorist entities or terrorist activities.
Last week, Parrish also repeated lines used by CD4HR’s director Firas al Najim when he promoted the event to Iranian state media, as she compared Sinwar to Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela.
“Your terrorist and somebody else’s terrorist may be two different things,” she said during a City Council meeting.
The Canary Mission, an antisemitism watchdog, reported Najim for his open support for terrorist entities such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRGC. Najim was also arrested in 2022 after allegedly driving through an anti-IRGC protest outside of a mosque.
During Parrish’s recent battle with Jewish rights organizations, some X users have uncovered past posts she’s made that shed light on her biased stance. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, a Canadian-Jewish advocacy group, highlighted one post that Parrish made in 2015 where she stated that she would not have discussions with “Zionists.”
“I don’t get into discussions with Zionists,” she said. “Have tried in the past and found it fruitless exercise. Been to Palestine. Know what’s up.”
A May 2024 study by York University found that 91% of Jewish Canadians believe that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state. In other words, more than nine in ten Canadian Jews are Zionists.
Robertson questioned whether Parrish’s previous posts indicated her recent actions were just a continuation of Parrish’s “anti-Zionist crusade.”
Despite the vigil for Hamas being cancelled, Mississauga’s anti-Israel scene continues to support Hamas.
“Jihad is our path,” protesters chanted in Arabic on Saturday. “Death in the way of Allah is our best aspiration,” and “Al-Quds, onwards to Jerusalem, martyrs in our millions.”
Robertson said Parrish’s inaction and “lack of a moral compass” has emboldened those who wish to “incite and sow division” within Canadian society.
Another clip from Saturday’s Mississauga protest shows Najim thanking Parrish for her support and repeating the line that Sinwar is a hero akin to Mandela.
Robertson said Parrish continues to compromise the safety and security of the Mississauga Jewish community and foster division amongst community members at a time that he says all Canadian civic leaders need to fight the rise of antisemitism and restore order.