Reflections on My Arrest and Lessons Learned

By Yves Engler – Mar 12, 2025

An extreme Jewish supremacist activist convinced the police to arrest me for criticizing her racist posts. She’s likely acting as a front for a vast Zionist ‘lawfare’ initiative hostile to embarrassing Canadian leaders.

Over the past 16 months I’ve annoyed many among the Jewish Zionist establishment. My writing, social media commentary and reporting on protests have circulated widely. But it’s a particular type of social media journalism/activism that’s had the widest impact.

Around two million watched an interview I did with the mayor of the Montreal suburb Hampstead, Jeremy Levi, in which he said he was okay with Israel killing 100,000 Palestinian children because “good needs to prevail over evil”. As with some of the other interventions, my post was reported on by the Montreal Gazette and international media such as RT and Middle Eastern Monitor. Many also watched my exposing Anthony Housefather, Mitch Garber and Heather Reisman as genocidal Jewish supremacists. Over 10 million watched a video I did mocking a McGill rally promoting genocide.

At the end of April, I questioned lawyer Neil ‘cancel man’ Oberman who has instigated over a dozen injunctions or legal threats against opponents of genocide, including the Palestine encampment at McGill university. (Oberman’s ‘lawfare’ is part of a vast legal effort in service of genocide detailed recently in a Canadian Jewish News article explaining that “CIJA’s new legal task force is suing the federal government, universities and school boards to ‘make people behave’.”) Subsequently, Oberman yelled at me in court. At that point I was on ‘ban who I can’ Oberman’s radar and he assisted extremist Zionist influencer Dahlia Kurtz.

In early July Kurtz, a woman happy to play Jewish victim, retweeted a message I posted a week earlier in a threatening manner, suggesting some police or legal campaign was planned. She wrote Hello, @EnglerYves. I’m advising you in this one message only that you are harassing me. You’re threatening and you’re making me afraid for my safety. You must stop this harassment — and communication with me. Stop now.” (I responded, “I’m advising you in this one message to stop promoting Israel’s holocaust in Gaza. Stop now.”)

While she accused me of “harassment” for responding to her racist and violent messages on X, Kurtz didn’t block me as others say she’s done to them. I’ve never met, messaged or threatened Kurtz and don’t even follow her on X.

In the summer the police investigated Kurtz’s claims against me. After deciding there wasn’t sufficient evidence to press charges they closed the file. But, when Oberman sent a legal letter on Kurtz’s behalf in mid-December the file was reopened (I assume Oberman assisted Kurtz from the get-go).

Kurtz’s allegations against me have broad personal and political implications. Finding me guilty of harassment for simply responding to her racist, violence promoting, messages would set a negative precedent. Snarky, biting, political statements in response to genocidal supremacism is a low bar for harassment. It would grant some legal legitimization to Zionist tears/victimhood or what a recent meme labeled the “Am Yisrael Cry” phenomenon.

Yves Engler: We Won

At a personal political level if I “harassed” Kurtz then the legal system might also find I’ve “harassed” a slew of other (mostly non-Jewish) political figures with my journalism/activism/commentary. I’ve attended or interrupted a dozen press conferences with Steven Guilbeault. I live in the environment minister’s riding and have bumped into him on the street and at the Biblioteque Nationale. If I’ve “harassed” Kurtz than I’ve definitely “harassed” Guilbeault.

The situation is similar for Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante who also happens to swim at the community centre near my home. Ditto for foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who’ve I’ve challenged many times in person and on X. Housefather also has a far greater claim against me than Kurtz since I’ve challenged him on numerous occasions and responded with the same type of hard hitting, snarky, commentary to his (albeit less directly) racist and violence promoting posts.

Levy, Garber, Melissa Lantsman, B’nai Brith, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and many other pro genocide accounts have blocked me on X. I haven’t created any ghost account to continue responding to their genocidal Jewish supremacism. I do everything in my name and am proud of my commentary, writing and activism. Similarly, when I attend press conferences to question politicians, I employ my own name.

Challenging a political system promoting war, inequality and climate breakdown is the least we can do. Canadian support for Israel’s genocide has exposed the rot of Canadian foreign policy.

Now that I’ve had some time to reflect on my arrest, incarceration, experience with the legal system, and outpouring of support, another lesson has been learned. Every time Zionists employ police-state methods to shut down criticism of Israel more people understand what Palestinians face daily.

(Yves Engler)

Yves Engler

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Yves Engler is Montreal-based writer and political activist. In addition to ten published books, Engler's writings have appeared in the alternative press and in mainstream publications such as The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, and Ecologist.