Charlotte Kates in front of a red Samidoun banner. Photo: teleSUR.
The home of the international coordinator of Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, Charlotte Kates, was violently raided by Canadian law enforcement in Vancouver on Saturday morning.
The process, however, was described by police spokesman Steve Addison as a “normal” process when executing certain search warrants.
Canadian press is reporting a raid by Vancouver police on the home of Samidoun’s Charlotte Kates on Thursday, executed by agents in tactical gear, who used a stun grenade, pointed a tear gas gun at the home, and broke windows in the process. pic.twitter.com/EmqlOeO7bS
— Camila (@camilapress) November 15, 2024
After the raid, Canadian police arrested the activist. Neighbors described her as a person of good character and considered the use of force to be exaggerated.
Kates was released after the arrest. The arrest was carried out in relation with an ongoing hate crime investigation under Section 319 of the Criminal Code. Based on those charges, the search warrant was requested by the Vancouver Police Major Crimes Section, according to a statement sent by email to the National Post on Friday.
Kates had been arrested last April after making an anti-Zionist speech
The international coordinator of Samidoun was arrested last April for the alleged crime of “hate speech” following a presentation in which she called for the removal of Palestinian Resistance groups from so-called “terrorist lists.”
The anti-Zionist organization Samidoun and the husband of the Palestinian activist and writer, Khaled Barakat, have been recently labelled as “terrorists” or “terrorist entities” by Canada’s government. In addition, the organization was banned from Telegram as part of a growing campaign of repression.
Through social media networks, Charlotte Kates expresses her firm support for Hamas, Hezbollah, and other movements that confront the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
The Canadian activist traveled to Iran last August, where she accepted a human rights award and reiterated her praise for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, launched on October 7, 2023 by the Palestinian resistance.
Samidoun: the voice of Palestinian prisoners in Zionist prisons
Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is an organization that supports the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons and in the prisons of nations that are allied with the Zionist regime. It is estimated that the Zionist colony currently holds at least 4,700 Palestinians as prisoners without trial under conditions of “administrative detention.”
The anti-Zionist group Samidoun (derived from the Arabic word meaning “steadfast”) has been an active member in the defense of Georges Abdallah, a pro-Palestinian militant who has been behind bars in France since October 24, 1984.
In addition, the organization has consistently spoken out against the torture and atrocities to which Palestinian prisoners are subjected in Zionist prisons.
According to the US Treasury Department, Samidoun commits or poses a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism, which is why Charlotte Kates was added, on October 15, to the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN List).
(teleSUR)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/KW/SL
