VANCOUVER — “If the NDP, David Eby, and Niki Sharma will not prosecute terrorism, I will.”
With those words, Dallas Broide, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Vancouver-Quilchena, pledged to act after provincial prosecutors declined to bring charges against Charlotte Kates, co-founder of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.
More than a year ago, the Vancouver Police Department recommended that the provincial Crown charge Kates with wilful promotion of hatred and public incitement of hatred. The report, submitted to the B.C. Prosecution Service in June 2024 has remained untouched.
Broide, frustrated by the lack of action, made her announcement on Wednesday during a press conference outside Vancouver Provincial Court.
“Last year at a Samidoun rally, speakers wearing masks chanted ‘death to Israel,’ ‘death to Canada,’ ‘death to the United States,’ and a Canadian flag was burned,” Broide said. “During that same rally, materials were distributed instructing people on how to organize a mass coordinated terrorist attack.”
Since then, she noted, “nothing” has been done by authorities or elected officials in Victoria to bring her to justice.’
In a statement, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs Pacific Region VP Nico Slobinsky called her action “a reminder that the B.C. Prosecution Service and Assistant Deputy Attorney General have had a Report to Crown Counsel recommending charges against Charlotte Kates sitting on their desks since June 2024.”
“Every day they do not press charges, she acts with increasing impunity,” Slobinsky warned. “Our legal system must send a clear message: antisemitism and hate have no place in British Columbia or anywhere else in Canada. Charges must be pressed without delay.”
Ezra Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, said more than two-thirds of B.C.’s Jewish community reports being targeted by antisemitism said:
“Individuals and organizations like Charlotte Kates and Samidoun have exacerbated this dramatic wave of antisemitism, which is why our community has been calling for accountability since her despicable remarks on April 26, 2024, on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery,” Shanken said. “Today’s development is a stark reminder of the urgent need for justice. Justice delayed is justice denied.”
The Tafsik Organization, a Jewish civil rights group, also voiced support on X, writing:
“We believe this is a strong and compelling case that warrants full public scrutiny. Tafsik’s Legal Taskforce is happy to continue providing direct research and legal support on this important action. Our team remains committed to supporting future issues that affect Canada’s Jewish community and the preservation of Canadian values.”
