Samidoun on terror radar of watchdog groups for years

Described as a 'sham charity' that fundraises for terrorist groups, Samidoun was declared a terrorist entity by Canada and the U.S. this week

Published Oct 16, 2024  •  Last updated 6 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

A person holds a smoke bomb while marching during a pro-Palestine rally organized by Samidoun in Vancouver on Oct. 7, 2024. Photo by ETHAN CAIRNS /THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA — Wednesday’s joint declaration of Vancouver-based Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as a terrorist entity by both Canada and the United States was a long-time coming, says one prominent terror watchdog.

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Gerald Steinberg, president of the Jerusalem-based research institute NGO Monitor, tells the Toronto Sun they’ve had their eye on the group for a while.

“More than seven years ago, NGO Monitor documented and raised concerns about Samidoun’s terror links and support for hate,” he said. 

“These concerns increased after Samidoun leader Khaled Barakat was forced to leave Germany and relocated Samidoun’s operations centre to Vancouver, where his wife Charlotte Kates also resides.”

Canada has been under increasing pressure to take action on Samidoun, whose reliably problematic rhetoric reached a fever pitch during a Vancouver rally celebrating the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.

A speaker during that rally said “we are Hezbollah and we are Hamas” to the crowd before before leading chants of “Death to Canada, Death the United States and Death to Israel.”

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That was followed by an attempt to burn a Canadian flag.

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Founded in 2011, Samidoun is considered a subsidiary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP,) a group Canada already lists as a terrorist group.

A spokesperson with the U.S. Treasury Department described Samidoun as a “sham charity” that raises money for the PFLP.

While Samidoun is still listed as an active federally-incorporated non-profit by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the group’s entry on the department’s website confirms Samidoun is considered a terrorist group by the government of Canada.

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The website lists three officers for Samidoun: Dave Diewert of Surrey, B.C., Charlotte Lynne Kates of Vancouver, and Thomas Gerhard Hofland of Amstelveen, Netherlands.

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Invitations to Samidoun by the Toronto Sun for comment went unacknowledged.

In a statement posted to Instagram, Samidoun stood by their words, describing Canada as a “zionist agency” and declaring the country responsible for what they describe as a “genocide” in Gaza.

Steinberg also implicated Samidoun as being a leading supporter and facilitator of anti-Israel rallies that occupied school campuses across Canada and the United States this year.

“The joint designation shows that the two governments now recognize the dangers of using NGO facades to support terror and mass murder like the Oct. 7 atrocities,” he said.

“Samidoun is also a major participant in campus-based mob violence, and there are a number of similar NGOs that need close examination, along with their funders and enablers.”

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