Anti-Israel Jewish activists occupy Canadian parliament lobby, demand arms embargo on Israel

Some 100 anti-Israel Jewish and Palestinian activists in Canada occupied the parliament lobby in Ottawa on Tuesday, demanding an arms embargo on Israel.

While Canadian military exports to Israel are limited, the activists claimed that “every F-35 fighter jet and Apache helicopter dropping bombs on Lebanon and Gaza right now is packed with hundreds of Canadian-made components.”

Niall Ricardo, from the far-left anti-Israel group, Independent Jewish Voices Canada, demanded that Canada stops being complicit in Israel’s “atrocities.”

“Our politicians cannot remain complacent in these marble halls while Israel continues to burn Palestinians alive in their tents. The fighter jets and attack helicopters wreaking havoc on civilians could not operate without hundreds of Canadian-made components. Canada's ongoing arms exports and diplomatic support make it complicit in these atrocities,” Ricardo stated. His comments, however, omitted references to the broader context of the conflict, including ongoing anti-Israel terrorism and Hamas' strategy to use civilian structures in the conflict, a war crime under international law.

Jewish activists who oppose Israel's right to exist and defend itself are not a new phenomenon and often receive ample media coverage. However, the majority of Canada’s 400,000 Jews support Israel’s right to defend itself, especially following the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israelis, the largest single attack on the Jewish population since the Holocaust.

Approximately 19 mainstream Jewish groups in Canada, including the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation (CAEF) and B’nai Brith Canada, condemned the actions of Jewish anti-Israel activists.

“Their actions represent an egregious distortion of Jewish values and a calculated attempt to hijack Jewish identity to serve a hateful anti-Zionist and antisemitic agenda,” they said in a joint statement on Wednesday. The groups stressed that about 90% of Canadian Jews support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, and view the State of Israel as a central component of their Jewish identity.

“We refuse to remain silent as Independent Jewish Voices and their partners recklessly endanger Jewish Canadians by perpetuating lies and fomenting hostility. Their shameful antics today, which trivialize genocide and vilify Israel, undermine Jewish safety and foster the very antisemitism they claim to oppose,” they stated.

In November, anti-Israel activists clashed with police officers in Montreal. Some of the more extreme activists set fire to vehicles and an effigy of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Some of the more extreme anti-Israel activists were seen performing Nazi salutes and invoking the “Final Solution,” a direct reference to the genocide of six million Jews during the Holocaust.

“The final solution is coming your way, the final solution. You know what the final solution is?” they told Jewish and pro-Israel students.

Quebec Senator Leo Housakos blasted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for prioritizing a Taylor Swift concert over combating the growing antisemitism in Canadian society at a hometown meeting.

“Tonight, while Justin Trudeau is partying it up in Toronto, I was meeting with several members of the Jewish community of Montreal,” Housakos wrote on 𝕏.

“Meanwhile, this is our hometown tonight. The pro-Hamas crowd [was] emboldened by Mr. Trudeau’s pledge to arrest the Israeli PM. Hope you had fun at the concert, though, Justin,” the Quebec politician added.