Canada lists pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as terrorist entity

The government of Canada has designated the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as a terrorist entity in a joint action with the U.S., both governments announced Tuesday.

Samidoun, also known as the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, has close links with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), both governments said in announcing the move.

The PFLP is a listed terrorist entity in Canada, the U.S. and the European Union.

"Violent extremism, acts of terrorism or terrorist financing have no place in Canadian society or abroad," Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a news release. He added the listing "sends a strong message that Canada will not tolerate this type of activity."

The U.S. Treasury Department has listed Samidoun as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist." In its statement, the department said it's declaring Samidoun "a sham charity" that serves as an international fundraiser for the PFLP.

In a statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the move is "part of our joint work with the U.S. to expose terrorist activities and intercept their financing."

Last week, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged the Canadian government to "ban" Samidoun. On Tuesday, he said in a statement that Trudeau "buckled under pressure from common sense Conservative demands to ban the terrorist group Samidoun in Canada."

Poilievre's calls came on the heels of a Samidoun-organized protest in Vancouver on the one-year anniversary of Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The attack killed about 1,200 people and triggered an Israeli counteroffensive that has left about 41,000 dead in Gaza.

In videos of the protest circulated online, an unidentified masked woman led a crowd of hundreds in chants of "death to Canada, death to the United States and death to Israel," while some in the group burned Canadian flags.

CBC News has not independently verified the videos posted online of the rally, but a CBC journalist who passed by the rally said they clearly heard a speaker chant, "death to Canada, death to the United States."

Earlier this year, Samidoun's international co-ordinator Charlotte Kates was arrested in a Vancouver hate-crime investigation after she praised the Oct. 7 attack as "heroic and brave." Samidoun also posted a statement that called the attack "a legitimate military operation."

B.C. Premier David Eby said he completely agrees with the decision to designate Samidoun as a terrorist organization.

"There is no place in British Columbia for groups inciting and glorifying violence," he said in a statement. "I am glad the federal government has made this designation, which gives more tools to authorities to take action against this group."

Canada's listing of Samidoun as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code means certain actions related to the group are now illegal, including activities related to financing, travel and recruitment.