Fighting "Western" imperialism in the Sahel region of Africa

Not in much of an order –

www.kitklarenberg.com/p/ukraines-secret-al-qaeda-invasion

www.rt.com/africa/639115-mali-terrorist-attack-western-involvement/

diario-octubre.com/2026/06/23/ataques-terroristas-en-mali-y-la-desestabilizacion-imperialista-del-sahel/

May 4, 2026 – "Islamist offensive tacitly backed by Paris shakes Mali" – www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/05/05/scwl-m05

"Mali’s defense minister killed in suspected Western-backed terrorist coup attempt – Russian forces helped Bamako repel coordinated militant raids on key cities and military sites" – www.rt.com/africa/639133-mali-defense-minister-killed/ \

General Sadio Camara (March 22, 1979 – April 25, 2026, both in Kati, Koulikoro Region, Mali) – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadio_Camara 

ohiobarbarian.substack.com/p/sahel-alliance-inflicts-defeat-on 

www.dropsitenews.com/p/mali-attacks-jnim-tuareg-france-bamako-kati-kidal

www.rt.com/africa/639146-over-200-terrorists-neutralized-mali/

www.rt.com/africa/639209-terrorists-attempted-mali-military-government-overthrow/

www.rt.com/africa/639292-malian-forces-regain-control-strategic-city/

www.rt.com/africa/639455-mali-leader-takes-defense-ministry-role/

www.rt.com/africa/639980-why-young-africa-rejects-france-rebranding/

www.rt.com/africa/640575-struggle-for-sovereignty-not-complete/

June 19, 2026 – Dozens die in Niger airport attack – www.rt.com/africa/641819-dozens-die-niger-airport-militant-attack/

October 14, 2021 – "Malian president accuses Paris of secretly arming terrorist groups to provoke war" – www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/10/14/mali-o14.html

September 19, 2023 – "Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso form alliance against French invasion threat" –www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/20/oqeb-s20.html

durhamspark.blogspot.com/search/label/Sahel

www.rt.com/africa/642252-burkina-faso-france-diplomatic-relations/

mpr21.info/burkina-faso-rompe-relaciones-diplomaticas-con-francia-y-denuncia-sus-pretensiones-neocoloniales/

mpr21.info/la-fiscalia-militar-de-mali-investiga-las-complicidades-internas-del-levantamiento/

mpr21.info/el-presidente-argelino-tiende-la-mano-a-mali/

diario-octubre.com/2026/06/26/niger-abandona-oficialmente-el-tribunal-penal-internacional/

diario-octubre.com/2026/06/08/las-motos-como-armas-de-guerra-en-el-sahel/

diario-octubre.com/2026/05/23/niger-asume-el-control-total-de-la-extraccion-de-uranio/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_of_Sahel_States

JNIM – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jama%27at_Nusrat_al-Islam_wal-Muslimin

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azawad_Liberation_Front

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azawad

Originally posted, May 7th, at:  blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/attack-mali-aes

The Culprit of the Attack on the Transition Government in Mali & the AES is NATO Imperialism

The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) condemns the imperialist-backed terrorist and separatist attacks against the Transition Government of Mali on April 25, 2026. This was a major attack that terrorized the population in several towns, resulting in casualties, among whom the minister of defense, General Sadio Camara, his wife, and grandchildren were killed. The Black Alliance for Peace offers our condolences to the family and comrades in the Malian transition government, as well as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). 

Consistent with our principles, BAP stands in unity with all anti-imperialist fighting forces. We therefore stand in solidarity with the transition government of Mali, as well as the AES generally, which have been at the forefront of fighting imperialist forces in Africa. In this case, imperialism in the form of its former colonizer and NATO member, France, was reportedly providing intelligence to the terrorists even four years ago. We also add its opportunistic partner, Ukraine, which admitted only two years ago to supplying heavy weaponry in the form of drones to proxy terrorist forces JNIM and FLA as a counter to Russian forces contracted by the Malian government to help them in this battle.

We will not be silent while the forces actually responsible for the symptoms of terrorism in Africa posture as the remedy for it. The prevalence of terrorism in Africa was born from NATO’s destruction of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in 2011, a vile crime against humanity that unleashed and scattered the reactionary terrorist forces across the Sahel and beyond. The Western world’s continued neocolonial plunder of Africa depends on keeping the continent destabilized. Because no truly liberated people would tolerate the paternalistic, militarist, extractive relationship that is the mission of NATO and its member countries.

The transition government of Mali has forced the French out, accusing them of assisting the terrorists. We are convinced -- based on history -- that France has not totally discontinued their efforts to destabilize and balkanize Mali and the AES by proxy in order to continue its long history of colonial domination and exploitation. The numerous assassination and coup attempts against Ibrahim Traore in Burkina Faso originating from the Ivory Coast are a testament to this. Ivory Coast has been one of France’s primary proxies in Africa since the days of Houphet Boigny, who was famously called the French traveling salesman by Frantz Fanon.

BAP understands that Africa will only be sovereign and free when it is able to develop a path reflective of a People’s Centered Human Rights. This requires freeing itself from the imperialist hybrid war perpetrated by NATO, AFRICOM, IMF/World Bank forces, and their neocolonial proxies. 

CPMK and BAP – Comprador repression in Kenya: Kenyan government offers red carpet for colonizers and a bloody nose for Anti-Imperialists

Originally posted, May 12th, at:  blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/statement-on-repression-in-kenya  Formatting slightly edited.

See also:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/03/bap-condemns-kidnapping-and-torture-of.html

Comprador Repression in Kenya: Kenyan government offers Red carpet for colonizers and a bloody nose for Anti-Imperialists

The Kenyan state has demonstrated a consistent and brutal willingness to deploy state terror against organized political dissent, targeting revolutionary leaders, working-class organizers, and anti-colonial voices with impunity. Past cases have laid bare the state’s methods: the violent abduction, torture, and illegal detention of Comrade Booker Ngesa Omole, Secretary General of the Communist Party Marxist Kenya, followed by the grotesque inversion of reality in which the victim of state torture was framed with fabricated assault charges. Today, as French President Emmanuel Macron co-hosts the France Africa Summit, rebranded as "Africa Forward 2026" in Nairobi with President William Ruto—announcing €23 billion in “investments” while seeking a permanent French military presence—the Ruto regime has exposed its true character as a neocolonial and comprador administration acting in defence of imperialist interests against the democratic rights of the people. 

The regime has chosen to criminalise anti-imperialist solidarity while rolling out the red carpet for foreign exploiters and agents of monopoly capital. Among those arrested in the ongoing crackdown are distinguished anti-imperialist and revolutionary activists, intellectuals, and organisers from across the globe. Their only crime is standing with the oppressed. Their only crime is rejecting imperialist domination. Their only crime is declaring that Africa is not for sale.

The arrest of international delegates, who were in Kenya for the Pan-African Summit Against Imperialism, a parallel counter summit, further demonstrates the growing panic and hypocrisy within imperialist and comprador circles who on one hand claim a “Pan-African Mandate” to send  its police forces as the Black faces of white supremacy in the U.S.-led occupation of Haiti and in another, physically attack international Pan-African delegates on its own soil. The source of this contradiction? They fear the unity of revolutionary and progressive forces across continents, international solidarity against imperialism, they fear a politically conscious people. But repression has never defeated the people’s struggle. Colonial detention camps did not defeat the liberation movement. Moi’s anti-communist repression did not defeat the struggle for democratic rights. Fascist laws and police terror will not silence the masses today.

The independence of Africa is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of the continent from imperialism and neocolonialism. The Communist Party Marxist Kenya and the Black Alliance for Peace therefore demand:

1) The immediate and unconditional release of all arrested comrades

2) An end to police harassment, abductions, and repression against activists, organisers, and progressive movements

3) The immediate halt to all imperialist military, political, and economic agreements being imposed upon Kenya and Africa

4) Respect for the democratic rights of all participants attending anti-imperialist and Pan-African gatherings.

In line with the Black Alliance for Peace's "U.S. and NATO Out of Africa" campaign, we further demand the closure of all foreign military bases on the continent, an end to AFRICOM and its proxy operations, and the full withdrawal of U.S., French, and NATO forces from African soil—from Kenya to Haiti, no more occupations under any banner. The struggle against imperialism is international, and no amount of repression shall defeat the organised masses of the people.

---

EL GOBIERNO KENIANO OFRECE ALFOMBRA ROJA A LOS COLONIZADORES Y UNA DURA REPRIMENDA A LOS ANTIIMPERIALISTAS.

El Estado keniano ha demostrado una voluntad constante y brutal de emplear el terror de Estado contra la disidencia política organizada, atacando con impunidad a líderes revolucionarios, organizadores de la clase trabajadora y voces anticoloniales. Casos anteriores han puesto al descubierto los métodos del Estado: el secuestro violento, la tortura y la detención ilegal del camarada Booker Ngesa Omole, secretario general del Partido Comunista Marxista de Kenia, seguidos de la grotesca inversión de la realidad en la que la víctima de la tortura estatal fue acusada falsamente de agresión. Hoy, mientras el presidente francés Emmanuel Macron copreside la Cumbre Francia-África, rebautizada como "África Adelante 2026", en Nairobi con el presidente William Ruto —anunciando 23.000 millones de euros en "inversiones" y buscando una presencia militar francesa permanente—, el régimen de Ruto ha revelado su verdadera naturaleza como una administración neocolonial y compradora que actúa en defensa de los intereses imperialistas contra los derechos democráticos del pueblo.

El régimen ha optado por criminalizar la solidaridad antiimperialista mientras extiende la alfombra roja a los explotadores extranjeros y agentes del capital monopolista. Entre los arrestados en la represión actual se encuentran destacados activistas, intelectuales y organizadores antiimperialistas y revolucionarios de todo el mundo. Su único delito es solidarizarse con los oprimidos. Su único delito es rechazar la dominación imperialista. Su único delito es declarar que África no está en venta.

La detención de delegados internacionales, que se encontraban en Kenia para la Cumbre Panafricana contra el Imperialismo, una cumbre paralela, evidencia aún más el creciente pánico y la hipocresía dentro de los círculos imperialistas y compradores que, por un lado, reclaman un “mandato panafricano” para enviar a sus fuerzas policiales como la cara negra de la supremacía blanca en la ocupación de Haití liderada por Estados Unidos y, por otro, atacan físicamente a delegados panafricanos internacionales en su propio territorio. ¿Cuál es la raíz de esta contradicción? Temen la unidad de las fuerzas revolucionarias y progresistas de todos los continentes, la solidaridad internacional contra el imperialismo, temen a un pueblo políticamente consciente. Pero la represión jamás ha vencido la lucha popular. Los campos de detención coloniales no vencieron al movimiento de liberación. La represión anticomunista de Moi no venció la lucha por los derechos democráticos. Las leyes fascistas y el terror policial no silenciarán a las masas hoy.

La independencia de África carece de sentido a menos que esté vinculada a la liberación total del continente del imperialismo y el neocolonialismo. Por lo tanto, el Partido Comunista Marxista de Kenia y la Alianza Negra por la Paz exigen:

1) La liberación inmediata e incondicional de todos los compañeros detenidos.

2) Poner fin al acoso policial, los secuestros y la represión contra activistas, organizadores y movimientos progresistas.

3) El cese inmediato de todos los acuerdos militares, políticos y económicos imperialistas que se imponen a Kenia y África.

4) Respeto por los derechos democráticos de todos los participantes que asistan a encuentros antiimperialistas y panafricanistas.

En consonancia con la campaña de la Alianza Negra por la Paz “«Fuera EE. UU. y la OTAN de África”, exigimos además el cierre de todas las bases militares extranjeras en el continente, el fin de AFRICOM y sus operaciones interpuestas, y la retirada total de las fuerzas estadounidenses, francesas y de la OTAN de territorio africano, desde Kenia hasta Haití; no más ocupaciones bajo ninguna bandera. La lucha contra el imperialismo es internacional, y ninguna represión logrará doblegar a las masas organizadas del pueblo.

BAP and UNAC on the 2026 World Cup + BAP’s 9th anniversary

I thought I heard on the BBC that an important FIFA meeting is coming up April 30th. 

[Some upcoming events are posted at:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/04/update-for-week-16-of-2026-palestinian.html , etc.

See also:

"BAP’s Africa Team and U.S. Out of Africa Network Endorse and Support the Weekend of Action Against Zionist and 'Israeli' Presence in Africa April 24–26, 2026" – blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/africa-week-of-action

blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/solidarity-with-nerdeen-kiswani

Originally posted, April 22nd, at:  blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/no-world-cup-for-genocide-ecocide and this version was sent out by email in the morning on the 23rd:

Move the Games: No World Cup for Genocide, Ecocide, or State Thuggery

Statement by the Anti-Fascist Football Coalition & BAP Climate, Environment and Militarism Working Group

This Earth Day, the Anti-Fascist Football Coalition declares that the United States and its Zionist partner have disqualified themselves from the community of civilized nations — not only through genocide, domestic repression, and imperialist violence, but through the systematic ecological destruction of Africa and West Asia. The U.S. military is the single largest institutional polluter on the planet, leaving behind toxic bases, polluting equipment and munitions, and poisoned air and water across the globe. Beyond emissions and direct pollution, U.S.-led militarism enforces imperialist domination, as it dehumanizes and discards the colonized, working class, and “surplus” populations by contaminating our ecosystems and poisoning our bodies. All the while, the U.S. evades accountability to international law.

In Gaza, Israel has waged ecocide as a weapon of war: tens of millions of tons of rubble have contaminated the soil and water, farmland has been razed, and the freshwater aquifer is now undrinkable. Across Africa, from the extraction of Congolese diamonds that fund the Israeli military to the destabilization of the Horn of Africa and Somalia to the gold and mineral resources that drive a UAE- backed genocide in Sudan, U.S.-Zionist imperialists drive deforestation, poison rivers, and displace entire communities. This is deliberate environmental and global class warfare.

The U.S. has “americanized” the beautiful game, providing a platform that enables and normalizes genocide and ecocide, within the U.S. and globally. The tournament itself will generate millions of tons of carbon emissions from stadium construction and air travel, while inside the United States, the policing apparatus that terrorizes Black, Brown, and migrant communities makes the country fundamentally unsafe for fans, players, and tournament personnel. Militarized ICE agents and state thugs can now routinely stop, detain, and disappear foreign nationals under the guise of immigration enforcement, as racial profiling has become the way of law. No visiting fan from Africa, West Asia, or anywhere else can be assured of safety on U.S. soil. Therefore, the Anti-Fascist Football Coalition demands:

• FIFA immediately relocate all 2026 World Cup matches scheduled to take place in the United States

• The international community, including teams, supporters, cultural workers, and civil society organizations, initiate a boycott of the United States as a host of international sporting events.

• International sporting institutions adopt non-selective accountability standards rooted in collective human rights and anti-colonial principles.

No whitewashing of US gangsterism and neo-fascist violence. No World Cup in a nation hostile to the People(s)-Centered Human Rights of our neighbors and family across the globe. No more poisoning our Earth. No peace under imperialist gangsterism and repression.

Before FIFA pretends this tournament is anything but a celebration of empire, we invite every anti‑fascist, every climate defender, every supporter of Palestinian and African liberation to study the true geography of U.S. control. Explore our “Map of U.S. Militarization in Our Americas” every base, every training facility, every cop city and join the peoples war against U.S gangsterism.

Move the Games! Boycott the U.S.! No Compromise! No Retreat!

Endorse the campaign to Move the Games from the U.S.:

Join the Global Network for the Advancement of People(s)-Centered Human Rights ]

Originally posted, April 7th, at:  blackallianceforpeace.com/movement-news/us-not-safe-world-cup 

U.S. Global Lawlessness and Security Concerns for Non-White Nations and Their Fans Intensify Concerns that the U.S. is Not Appropriate Venue to Host World Cup

For Immediate Release
Contact: communications[at]blackallianceforpeace[]com
(201) 292-4591

On April 6th, the Anti Fascist Football Coalition, a group of grassroots organizations in the three World Cup host countries - the U.S., Mexico, and Canada - delivered a petition to FIFA (signed by prominent individuals and organizations from every part of the planet) asking that FIFA and the International Olympic Committee demonstrate their stated positions on universal human rights and, as such, ban the United States and Israel from hosting or participating in international sporting events.

The Coalition is collaborating to implement shared strategies to demand that FIFA immediately remove the 2026 World Cup matches from the United States, and also calls on the international community to boycott the U.S. as a host nation for international sporting events.

Prior actions by the Coalition, including additional communications to FIFA, highlight the hypocrisy of their so-called “human rights statutes” when, historically, qualifying countries have been banned from participation in the Games for far less, such as the disqualification of Mexico in 1994 for incorrect paperwork. And yet, FIFA continues its shameless complicity with the U.S. agenda of global domination, no matter the cost of human and environmental life.

Brianna Alvarado Ramos, representing Diaspora Pa’lante Collective in the Anti Fascist Football Coalition, states that “The disqualification of the U.S. as both a host and participant is the bare minimum when we look at the U.S. warpath of barbaric and lawless acts of violence, repression, and genocide domestically and abroad - from the escalating economic strangulation of Cuba, the attacks on Venezuela and the kidnapping of its President, the ongoing U.S. occupation of Haiti, its brutal war on Iran, the subjugation and genocide of Palestinians, as well as the murder of working class people in the U.S. through both physical militarized forces and economic warfare.”

The past weeks have seen a clear build in momentum, internationally, with the demands to move the 2026 World Cup Games from the U.S. and hold FIFA accountable for its unwavering complicity in U.S. repression, lawlessness, escalating violence, and normalization of genocide. Dutch groups have collected nearly 200,000 signatories supporting their call to “Boycott the Trump World Cup.” Germany’s Fairness United is circulating their campaign and petition to “Love Football/Hate Fascism” with serious considerations to boycott matches held in the U.S. After the Trump administration openly disparaged Spain for its opposition to the US-Israeli war on Iran, the Spanish government announced on March 3 that its national team’s withdrawal from World Cup participation is under consideration.

These actions echo the calls from several other countries, including Sweden, France, Switzerland, and, of course, Iran, where the Trump administration openly threatened the safety of their players should they choose to travel to and compete in the U.S.

The evidence as to why the World Cup Games must not be held in the U.S. continues to grow and there is nothing covert about the agenda of the U.S.state to use these mega events as direct pathways for militarized entities to further disappear and neutralize colonized and oppressed populations -  not just those living in the U.S., but also for international fans and players hoping to attend the matches. Just recently in Dallas, Texas, Iraqi football fans were physically and verbally harassed with threats to call ICE. In response, a countless number of fans reiterated that the U.S. is dangerous for anyone attending the Games.

The Coalition will continue to build resistance to FIFA’s complicity in U.S. lawlessness and genocide and invites the public to join in the Coalition’s Campaign to Boycott the World Cup and Boycott the U.S. at bit.ly/EndorseNow and learn more at https://peoplescenteredhumanrights.com/move-the-games/.

From UNAC; originally sent out March 25th in the early evening:

Boycott the World Cup

Boycott the U.S.

March 3, 2026, With the FIFA World Cup 2026 now 100 days away, an international coalition has launched a coordinated boycott campaign demanding that FIFA move matches from the United States. The Coalition warns that US thuggery is creating a humanitarian crisis, both domestic and international. International sport is not neutral. Mega-sporting events function as instruments of political legitimation. To host global sporting events is not merely a logistical privilege — it is a declaration of belonging within the international community.

“The coalition believes that with the siege of Cuba, the kidnapping of the president of Venezuela, unprovoked and illegal war on Iran, and the fact that the United States has become an increasingly unsafe and hostile environment for peoples of the world — particularly for Black, Brown, Indigenous, migrant, and non-European peoples - the U.S. has excluded itself from the community of civilized nations and should not be allowed to normalize its violence and international gangsterism,” says Ajamu Baraka of the Black Alliance for Peace’s North-South Project for People(s)centered human rights, one of the conveners of the coalition

In the US, violent immigration crackdowns, illegal detentions, and discriminatory travel measures  endanger communities, fans, players and tournament personnel all while the US soaks its hands in foreign blood across the globe.

Nowhere is this more evident than in West Asia and Africa. There, the US continues its violent campaigns against nations whose players and fans will soon set foot on American soil for 78 world cup matches beginning June 11th. Many will arrive as victims of US-sponsored carnage. We demand: the games cannot go forward as if these lives do not matter-whether it is in graves or cages. We refuse to let the United States hide its transgressions against sovereign peoples. The blood of women and children will not be washed away on the pitch to fertilize its grass, and its seats must remain empty for every person ICE has disappeared.

Mireille Fanon Mendes - France, chair of the Frantz Fanon Foundation declares that “it is morally obscene and politically backward that the United States, a country that has persistently defied international law and stands implicated in grave human rights violations—including wars of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and active support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza—should be entrusted with hosting a global event meant to celebrate dignity, collective humanity and unity like the World Cup.”

At this historical juncture, permitting the United States to host international sporting events such as the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics with the participation of Israel, represents a profound moral and political contradiction for the international community of nations.

As we face 100 days before the World Cup, we say reject the normalization of war, repression and genocide. Demand that FIFA move the games and boycott the U.S. until it has demonstrated that it is prepared to operate in the world as a normal state committed to equality, peace and people(s)-centered human rights. 

UNAC is a member of the coalition organizing against having the World Cup games in the U.S.

Originally posted, April 3rd, at:  blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/2026/4/2/baps-9th-anniversary

BAP’s 9th Anniversary: Turn Imperialist Wars into Peoples’ Wars Against Imperialism

For the past nine years, the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) has sought to advance the radical Black, anti-war, pro-peace, and anti-imperialist movements through practice and uncompromising analysis grounded in our Principles of Unity and a People(s)-Centered Human Rights approach. The U.S./EU/NATO Axis of Domination’s imperialist brutality and lawlessness currently on display on both domestic and global fronts is intended to demobilize and destabilize us – in just the last few months, this lawlessness has enabled the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores, and the bombing, invasion, and ongoing intervention in Venezuela; the heightened strangulation and attacks on Cuba; the war on Iran; continued occupation and destabilization of Haiti; and murders and occupations of U.S. cities by federal agents. However, this very brutality and lawlessness heightens the contradictions brought on by the Pan-European colonial/capitalist patriarchy and clarifies the stakes of our commitment to challenging and defeating the war against our people.

Importantly, BAP was founded on April 4, 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech that reconnected with the Black Radical Peace tradition by adding his voice of opposition to the murderous U.S. war machine unleashed on the people of Vietnam. In this, he argued that the U.S. was the greatest purveyor of violence on the planet, and that a radical revolution of values was needed to defeat “the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism [i.e. capitalism], and militarism.” BAP’s work is part of Dr. King’s unfinished fight against these forces that have only intensified in the last 59 years and continue waging war on our people. 

To understand the nature of such warfare is to see through the veil of imperialist global conflict and recognize it for what it fundamentally is: a continuation of class war. The United States' recent global wars, particularly the full-throated illegalities of the post-9/11 era, represent a qualitative shift. This external aggression has a direct domestic byproduct: intense repression and the engineered splintering of the population, all while funneling working-class tax dollars into the military-industrial complex that supports imperialist violence globally. 

However, within this grim reality lies a critical opening for forces like BAP and all others who struggle for a revolutionary transformation of society, such as the communal economy and governance within the Bolivarian Revolution or the development achievements through national sovereignty in Iran. The system's brutality via imperialist domination, while intended to demobilize, must sharpen the resolve for us and all the African/Black, colonized, and oppressed working masses of the globe. What we have witnessed, particularly since the Al-Aqsa Flood and the subsequent U.S.-Israeli genocidal campaign on Gaza, is the removal of remaining liberal pretenses that thinly disguised the theft of land, labor, and life that capitalism requires to sustain itself. We must name the truth, that this process, this structure of U.S.-led imperialism, seeks only death to establish and maintain “full spectrum dominance”.

In this context, we focus on defeating this war against our people. This requires not merely exposing the contradictions of U.S.-led imperialism, but turning imperialist wars on our people into peoples’ war against imperialism. The radical, revolutionary, and progressive forces that understand this must find ways to strike strategic blows against the imperialist war machine that is intent on destroying our lives, livelihoods, environments, and the planet. For BAP and other forces in the radical African/Black movement, this can only be done effectively by engaging and supporting the masses of our people to prepare for and conduct a peoples’ war for liberation. 

In our ninth year, BAP recommits to this protracted struggle through our consistent campaign frameworks that are increasingly focused on moving from simply exposing the contradictions of imperialism toward political clarity and consciousness expressed as organized, sustained activity that builds legitimate resistance to U.S. imperialism and militarism:

• No Compromise No Retreat: Defeat the War Africans/Black People in the U.S. and Abroad. Our core campaign framework, which includes emerging efforts such as the Climate, Environment, and Militarism working group.

• U.S. Out of Africa: Shut Down AFRICOM

• U.S./NATO Out of Our Americas: Make Our Americas a Zone of Peace!, and 

• “MOVE THE GAMES”: Boycott the World Cup and Boycott the U.S and Israel

In the context of this protracted collective struggle, BAP continues to forge a path between analysis and action through these campaign frameworks that are the trenches in which we fight for a future beyond the logic of capital.  The decade ahead demands that we deepen this struggle, sharpen our ideological clarity, enhance our activity, and continue to build a movement capable of not only opposing the machinery of death but of building a new world in its place.

Not one drop of blood from the poor and working class to defend capitalist dictatorship!

No Compromise No Retreat!

JPA: Israel out of FIFA, sanction Israel’s illegal E1 project, Canadian integration into US-Israel militarism, Israeli military involvement in schools, “Hell No to NATO’s 5%!" + news

Some upcoming events are listed at:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/02/an-update-for-week-8-of-2026-history-of.html and durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/02/revising-durhams-udoldclup-planning.html  The Nowruz holiday began on the Northern Hemisphere spring equinox, March 20th:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/02/some-astronomical-events-march-april.html  As did Eid al-Fitr this year? – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Fitr and www.rt.com/russia/635624-eid-festival-moscow-mosque/ [and "Newroz 2026: Mobilize the working class against imperialist war and for workers’ power in the Middle East!" – www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/03/22/hynm-m22.html ]  Creek Week in Orange County began March 21st and Durham Creek Week ended on World Water Day, Sunday, March 22nd.  Other local creek weeks also begin in late March (?), and powwows, Asian cherry blossom festivals in the US South (the International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Georgia is March 20-29th; the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC will be March 20th to April 12th in 2026:  nationalcherryblossomfestival.org ; see also:  www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/05/cherry-blossom-peak-bloom-date-2026-march-29-april-1 ?  The forecast in Japan, March 17th-April 25th:  www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h02648/  At Duke Gardens:  www.instagram.com/p/DVtuCy6jgno/  A white weeping cherry nearby is already done or all but done.  A native black cherry is just leafing out but Eastern tent caterpillars have already emerged and woven two silken nests again this year.),  etc.  Farmworker Awareness Week 2026 will be March 25th-31st? – saf-unite.org/national-farmworker-awareness-week/  The wars aren't a major issue at No Kings? – www.nokings.org/news/over-3000-no-kings-events-planned-for-march-28-more-events-added-daily  March 23rd is reportedly National Tamale Day, among other days. 

Democracy Now!’s 30th Anniversary Event, with hosts Amy Goodman, Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh and guests Angela Davis, Patti Smith, Michael Stipe, Mosab Abu Toha, V (formerly Eve Ensler), Hurray for the Riff Raff, [Bruce Springsteen,] and others, will be Monday, March 23 at 7pm EDT in-person at Riverside Church in New York City and livestreamed [and recorded?] at:  democracynow.org/30  It is broadcast on WNCU (7-8pm Monday-Thursday) and WCOM (?) in the Triangle.

Abducted (ICE-style?) off the street in Kiev, Ukraine, tortured, and denied access to a lawyer or doctor, but released by March 22nd, not the first time he has faced government repression:  worldbeyondwar.org/yurii-sheliazhenko-abducted/

"From Quaker Meeting in Kiev:

Today, March 19, 2026, representatives of the Pechersk District Police in Kyiv, along with an individual claiming to be a TCC (Territorial Recruitment Center) officer who refused to identify himself, illegally detained Yurii Sheliazhenko—a human rights defender, pacifist, and conscientious objector to military service.

This act of lawlessness took place on Perspektyvna Street. The detention was led by Senior Operative Serhiy Vitaliyovych Nakopyuk. No protocol was drawn up. Yurii managed to call his lawyer, but the officers did not wait for the lawyer’s arrival. According to Yurii, he is currently being transported to an unknown location at 20 Boichuka St. This is an illegal detention and a gross violation of human rights."

worldbeyondwar.org/vindication-uk-jury-clears-palestine-action-protesters-who-admitted-to-elbit-break-in/

In Canada – worldbeyondwar.org/flooding-the-zone-police-raids-on-peace-activists/

worldbeyondwar.org/talk-world-radio-rising-violence-in-cameroon/

worldbeyondwar.org/bogota/

worldbeyondwar.org/belarus-targets-humanitarian-work-in-lithuania-as-extremism/

The BBC reported that four ambulances in northwest London owned or run by one or more Jewish organizations have been burned.  [ the307.substack.com/p/the-official-narrative-around-the ; related satire about Laura Loomer:  www.normalisland.co.uk/p/possible-leader-of-harakat-ashab/ ; On the 24th David Green spoke like a lot of terrorism has been going on due to the War.] [And:  thegrayzone.substack.com/p/whos-behind-the-mysterious-iran-backed ]

Suddenly there has been a large amount of reporting about the retaliatory damage Iran is inflicting on Israel – but only damage in Dimona.  They didn't care much about the Iranian girls' school someone, probably the US, bombed.  Even the BBC admitted on the 21st that Israel has nuclear weapons.

NPR and the BBC focus on Iran's restrictions on information and damage done by the criminal aggressors, and tar the "regime" for mostly blocking them from entering the country (with very conspiratorial dramatic readings of messages from alleged 'ordinary' to openly Machadoist Iranians in Iran being broadcast on the BBC everyday), rarely or never mentioning that Israel and the Gulf Arab countries are also restricting information.  "Loose lips sink ships?"  Iran let Lise Doucette in recently.

The BBC broadcast 1940's type war criminal if not genocidal talk by a Likud diaspora minister and an allegedly 'ordinary' Israeli in Dimona March 22nd.  

[An outraged Saudi writer (Salmon?) was interviewed about the War around the 26th (he was hot under the collar about Iran, only) and an outraged Israeli veteran around the 27th (he was interviewed about Israel allegedly blowing up inhabited apartment buildings, along with empty Basiji offices, with 2,000-pound bombs in Iran and he blamed Iran for bombing targets in Israeli cities).  The BBC makes sure to say that Iranians etc. allegedly can't speak freely, but Saudi Arabia kills and dismembers writers who offend the royal rulers.  BBC staff are again reporting from Iran (unlike NPR, which is pretending that the US government has already won)?]

If Russia attacks western Ukraine's electricity supply it is barbaric, they say, but not a word when the US does it to Iran, Cuba, etc.  "Communist"-run Cuba is just having some problems, the BBC says.  [I heard maybe one or a handful of negative comments about Trump's threat to Iran in the mainstream media through March 27th, though they are strangely willing to admit that the US is strangling Cuba.  They rarely mentioned the US role in Venezuela's problems (they have stopped talking about the Venezuelan economy, but they still promote the "opposition" and condemn the country).]  Bombing media is fine with them in 2026 too.  

Will Grant talks like Cuba shouldn't arrest rioters and arsonists.

[Two sailboats carrying aid from Mexico to Cuba were reported to be missing on the 26-27th.]

If the Pentagon says it, it must be true (so why didn't NPR just agree to that no leaks Pentagon press corps contract in 2025?).  Greg Myri – Apache helicopters and A-10 jets can allegedly venture over Iran at will.  Not a word on the expensive US aircraft lost?  No mention of shortages.  [Was Myri just giving background information or was he trying to make Joe Kent look bad about a week ago?  If only more high level US officials were willing to follow the principles they claim to believe and openly protest the wars.]   

It isn't a 'political' magazine, but even the March issue of Fortean Times (from the UK) smears Maduro, Rodriguez, and Bolivarian Venezuela, though it also gives the name of a Venezuelan ghost applied to Machado [La Sayona – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayona ].  

S and T magazine isn't 'political' either, but joined the US-western Ukraine war effort, as did the Durham City Council, but not a word on what the US, other NATO countries, and Israel have done.

The BBC is decrying the French "hard," "far" left, left of the old CP (?).

Some related articles:

"Ukraine adds Russian Paralympians to [US government-connected] ‘kill list’" – March 20th – www.rt.com/news/635644-russian-paralympians-ukraine-mirotvorets/

"FIFA president added to Ukraine’s state-linked ‘kill list’" – www.rt.com/pop-culture/631935-infantino-fifa-ukraine-kill-list/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrotvorets

consortiumnews.com/2026/03/21/idf-threatens-elimination-of-russian-leaders/

"Western silence allows Israel to get away with killing journalists" – March 21st – www.rt.com/news/635719-israel-attacks-journalists-west-complicit/

"‘Deliberate attack’: RT correspondent recounts surviving Israeli airstrike (VIDEO)" – March 19th –www.rt.com/news/635531-rt-crew-injured-lebanon/

"Israel's Targeting Of Journalist Steve Sweeney In Lebanon Is Just The Latest In A Long History Of Israel Targeting Journalists." – March 20th – the307.substack.com/p/israels-targeting-of-journalist-steve

"US News Orgs Nearly Silent on Israel’s Violent Suppression of Journalism" – March 11th –fair.org/home/us-news-orgs-nearly-silent-on-israels-violent-suppression-of-journalism/

evakarenebartlett.substack.com/p/western-silence-allows-israel-to

In Lithuania – "Croatian cellist [Stjepan Hauser] banned from EU state over Russian folk song ['Kalinka'] media" – March 21st – www.rt.com/news/635755-croatian-cellist-concert-axed-lithuania-russian-folk-song/

"WATCH German athletes snub Russian Paralympic champions" – March 11th –www.rt.com/russia/634553-germany-russia-paralympic-snub/

"African football champions stripped of continental title" – March 18th – www.rt.com/africa/635414-senegal-stripped-africa-cup-title/

"‘Israel-linked’ arms facility set ablaze in EU (VIDEO)" – March 20th – www.rt.com/news/635662-czech-fire-israel-weapons-video/

"Iran claims F-35 hit (VIDEO)" – March 19th – www.rt.com/news/635567-iran-hits-us-f35-jet/

"Battle for Hungary: How the EU plans to defeat Viktor Orban" – www.rt.com/news/635670-eu-hungary-election-interference/

"Dozens of Ukrainian drones downed over Russia in two hours – MOD" – March 22nd –www.rt.com/russia/635857-dozens-ukrainian-drones-downed-russia-sunday-mod/

In Latvia – "Nazis honored in EU country’s capital" – March 17th – www.rt.com/news/635314-nazis-honored-march-latvia/

www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/11/doctrine-and-proliferation-france-forward-deterrence-and-going-backwards/ 

"France to expand nuclear arsenal – Macron" – March 2nd – www.rt.com/news/633548-france-expand-nuclear-arsenal-macron/

"International Matters of Concern – Canada Joins Europe to Step Up Militarization to Justify Wars Against Peoples Fighting for Their Rights" – cpcml.ca/TML2026/MS5602.HTM

"Millions Around the World Stand with Iran, Palestine and Lebanon – Photo Review" – cpcml.ca/TML2026/T56008.HTM

consortiumnews.com/2026/03/20/manufacturing-a-lebanese-civil-war/

www.un-diplomatic.com/p/multipolarity-diego-garcia-and-the

roburie.substack.com/p/apocalypse-now-west-asia-edition

www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/israel-keeps-murdering-every-iranian

simplicius76.substack.com/p/final-escalatory-act-awaits-as-iran

simplicius76.substack.com/p/whipsaw-effect-trump-again-signals

julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/murder-most-foul-fc

indi.ca/a-retreat-turning-to-a-rout-ramadan-war-21/

indi.ca/the-ramadan-war-comes-home-to-sri-lanka/

karat.substack.com/p/trumps-media-wars 

jonathancook.substack.com/p/bbc-editors-libel-case-against-owen

neuburger.substack.com/p/how-close-is-israel-to-maximum-escalation

neuburger.substack.com/p/war-on-iran-the-information-gap

the307.substack.com/p/mossad-de-facto-admits-to-inciting

caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/03/22/its-unethical-to-have-sympathy-for-israelis-and-other-notes/

www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/13/middle-power-nonsense-australia-canada-and-capitulating-to-the-iran-war/ 

www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/12/starmers-self-defence-fudge-the-uks-growing-involvement-in-the-iran-war/

"Why does Finland want to get involved in Iran?"– March 18th – www.rt.com/news/635442-stubb-finland-iran-ukraine/

www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/05/how-it-became-legal-to-attack-iran/ 

went2thebridge.substack.com/p/false-flags-are-on-brand-for-zionists

www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/18/misplaced-mourning-farewelling-the-cia-world-factbook/

www.normalisland.co.uk/p/starmer-sends-israel-strongly-worded 

www.normalisland.co.uk/p/ai-clone-of-netanyahu-vows-to-continue

www.normalisland.co.uk/p/women-of-tehran-liberated-by-fiery

www.normalisland.co.uk/p/keir-starmer-apologises-to-israel

This is the post I was thinking of that outlines some official government and private Israeli violence and discrimination against Christians, even Christians who aren't Palestinian or Arab:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2023/12/some-unac-and-adc-statements-and.html

A US call for the expulsion of Israel from FIFA and the IOC:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2025/07/bap-fifa-and-ioc-must-ban-us-and-israel.html

Slightly edited.

Originally posted at:  www.justpeaceadvocates.ca/press-release-uefa-and-fifa-leadership-pressed-to-expel-israel-from-football/ --

Post Date: March 16, 2026

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PRESS RELEASE  

16 March 2026 

UEFA AND FIFA LEADERSHIP PRESSED TO EXPEL ISRAEL FROM FOOTBALL 

Yesterday, a group of five organisations that recently filed a complaint before the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court against Gianni Infantino and Aleksander Čeferin for assisting in war crimes and crimes against humanity, wrote to members of the UEFA Executive Committee and the FIFA Council, demanding they expel Israel from international football competitions.  

Letter to the UEFA Executive Committee 

In the letter, UEFA Executive Committee members were reminded that, 6 months prior, they had made an internal decision to cancel plans for an extraordinary meeting intended to suspend Israel’s clubs and national teams from all UEFA-organised events, allegedly to enable Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza to take effect. The five organisations said this suggested “a demonstrably false link between the realisation of the two entirely separate issues.” They also recalled a phone call made by Netanyahu – a fugitive wanted by the International Criminal Court – to Mr Čeferin that played a role in the cancellation of the plans. 

The five organisations presented the evidence to the UEFA Executive Committee demonstrating that Trump’s “Peace Plan” is not just entirely ineffective, but widely regarded as a guise for the Trump family Riviera Project and an Israeli state ethnic cleansing project. Importantly,  UN human rights experts have determined that the genocide in Gaza continues. As such, Trump’s “Peace Plan” cannot serve as a valid reason to keep Israel a part of European football. The UEFA’s leadership were called upon to rebuild the credibility of UEFA and their own legacy as sport administrators by immediately expelling Israel: 

It is a critical time to apply territorial integrity and human rights provisions in [UEFA] Statutes. If the Israel FA is not suspended for multiple breaches of UEFA Statutes at this point in history, the provisions themselves become futile and unenforceable against any other party in the future. 

Letter to the FIFA Council 

A separate letter addressed to the FIFA Council highlighted the integration in FIFA structures of the Israeli illegal settlement clubs located on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank, which is in clear breach of both the territorial integrity and human rights provisions of the FIFA Statutes. The groups accuse FIFA of having used “systematic institutional delays” since 2013 to avoid enforcing these rules, a strategy they characterize as a denial of justice. They further warned that this failure to act moves the issue beyond sports arbitration and into the sphere of Swiss public policy and due process considerations that could eventually elevate the dispute to the jurisdiction of the Swiss Federal Tribunal. 

The FIFA Council was warned by human rights organisations and UN experts that their institutional support and inclusion of illegal settlement clubs is inseparable from serious human rights abuses. Mr Infantino himself acknowledged at the 2024 FIFA Congress that the matter was “urgent” and has insisted since 2017 that the FIFA Council, as opposed to Congress, has competence to decide on it. 

The letter to the FIFA Council concluded that 

FIFA’s governance standards have reached an unprecedented low, characterized by a complete loss of moral authority and legitimacy. This is the first time since the creation of the UN that an FA from a country implementing genocide, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, while invading several independent states, has been a member of FIFA. Football clubs and players from Israel publicly support the Israeli government actions, while the IFA’s Chairman visits and publicly supports an Air Force that has bombed and killed over 21,000 Palestinian children. Therefore, retaining the [Israel] FA as a FIFA member is not a politically neutral act – it is complicity and it enables sportswashing of the gravest war crimes. 

Upcoming decision  

In October 2024, the FIFA Council passed the issue of illegal settlement clubs onto the FIFA Governance Audit and Compliance Committee. After 18 months of silence, this Committee is now expected to deny its jurisdiction over the matter and continue Mr Infantino’s policy of arbitrary delays, denial of justice, and grave breaches of human rights of Palestinian people. 

For enquiries: ICC.legal.team[at]proton[ ]me 

This press release was originally posted (with the letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Foreign Minister Anita Anand) at:  www.justpeaceadvocates.ca/press-release-canadian-organizations-call-on-carney-to-sanction-israels-illegal-e1-settlement-project/

Post Date: March 16, 2026

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le français suit

Editors note: You can read the full letter below.

PRESS RELEASE  

16 March 2026

Canadian Organizations Call on Carney to Sanction Israel’s Illegal E1 Settlement Project  

Ottawa, Canada — Canadian civil society organizations, joined by international co‑endorsers, are calling on Prime Minister Carney and Foreign Minister Anand to take immediate action to halt Israel’s E1 settlement project in the Occupied West Bank. With the ongoing illegal U.S.‑Israel military campaign against Iran increasing instability across the Middle East, the E1 expansion risks further fuelling tensions while consolidating Israel’s unlawful and discriminatory control over Palestinian territory. 

Sometimes referred to as Israel’s “doomsday” settlement, advocates warn that the E1 expansion would permanently sever the West Bank into two disconnected enclaves, entrenching annexation and foreclosing any viable path to a just political resolution. The project would deliberately reshape the territory’s geography and demographics in clear violation of international law, undermining Palestinians’ right to self‑determination. Israel’s Finance Minister has explicitly said that the project is intended to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.” 

Canada has condemned the E1 plan, but civil society leaders say condemnations without consequences will not stop it. 

The Israel Land Authority announced the E1 bidding tender in December 2025 and plans to award contracts on July 6, 2026. Once these tenders are issued and construction advances, reversal will be nearly impossible. 

Canadian Global Sanctions Coalition endorsers are urging Canadian government to: 

• Publicly warn that any person or entity involved in E1 expansion will face targeted economic sanctions. 
• Signal that participation in the project risks loss of access to Canadian markets and financial systems. 
• Enforce immediate designations should contracts move forward. 
  
  QUOTES 
  
  “The E1 settlement project is designed to permanently entrench Israel’s apartheid rule over the occupied West Bank, and foreclose any possibility for Palestinian self-determination,” said Michael Bueckert, Vice President of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME). “Canada cannot claim to oppose Israeli settlement expansion while refusing to adopt any of the practical tools that could halt Israel’s colonial ambitions. There have to be real economic consequences for individuals and businesses seeking to profit from these schemes.” 
  
  “Recent polling shows that a majority of Canadian Jews do not support Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory,” noted Corey Balsam of Independent Jewish Voices. “If Canada’s recognition of Palestinian statehood is to have any meaning, the Carney government must move beyond statements of concern and impose real consequences on Israel’s settlement project and the expansionist policies driving it.” 
  
  “E1 is not routine settlement growth. It is a deliberate project to make Palestinian statehood impossible,” said Karen Rodman of Just Peace Advocates. “Canada cannot claim to defend a rules‑based order while its markets and financial systems facilitate this destruction.” 
  
  POLICY CONTEXT 
  
  Under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, an occupying power cannot transfer its civilian population into occupied territory or permanently alter its character absent absolute necessity. Israeli settlements, including the E1 project and settlement expansion of Ma’ale Adumim, violate these standards and threaten prospects for peace. 
  
  Canada and allied governments, including the United Kingdom, Australia and the European Union, have previously imposed targeted sanctions in response to settler violence and property destruction in the West Bank. Civil society leaders stress that decisive economic measures are needed now to deter larger annexation efforts. 
  
  With July 6 approaching and Middle East tensions escalating, advocates warn that the window for preventive action is closing fast. 
  
  Media contacts: 

• Michael Bueckert, CJPME: michael.bueckert[at]cjpme[ ]org  
• Karen Rodman, Just Peace Advocates: info[at]justpeaceadvocates[ ]ca  
• Corey Balsam, IJV Canada: corey[at]ijvcanada[ ]org  
  
   
  
   

COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE  

16 mars 2026 

Des organisations canadiennes appellent Carney à sanctionner le projet de colonisation illégal E1 d’Israël  

Ottawa, Canada — Des organisations de la société civile canadienne, soutenues par des signataires internationaux, appellent le Premier ministre Carney et la ministre des Affaires étrangères Anand à prendre des mesures immédiates pour mettre fin au projet de colonisation E1 d’Israël en Cisjordanie occupée. Alors que la campagne militaire illégale menée actuellement par les États-Unis et Israël contre l’Iran accroît l’instabilité dans tout le Moyen-Orient, l’expansion du projet E1 risque d’attiser davantage les tensions tout en consolidant le contrôle illégal et discriminatoire d’Israël sur le territoire palestinien. 

Parfois qualifiée de colonie « apocalyptique » d’Israël, les défenseurs avertissent que l’expansion de la zone E1 diviserait définitivement la Cisjordanie en deux enclaves isolées, consolidant ainsi l’annexion et fermant toute voie viable vers une résolution politique juste. Le projet modifierait délibérément la géographie et la démographie du territoire, en violation flagrante du droit international, portant atteinte au droit des Palestiniens à l’autodétermination. Le ministre israélien des Finances a explicitement déclaré que le projet visait à « enterrer l’idée d’un État palestinien ». 

Le Canada a condamné le plan E1, mais les dirigeants de la société civile affirment que des condamnations sans conséquences ne suffiront pas à l’arrêter. 

L’Autorité foncière israélienne a annoncé l’appel d’offres pour le projet E1 en décembre 2025 et prévoit d’attribuer les contrats le 6 juillet 2026. Une fois ces appels d’offres lancés et la construction engagée, il sera pratiquement impossible de faire marche arrière. 

Les signataires de la Coalition canadienne pour des sanctions mondiales exhortent le gouvernement canadien à : 

• Avertir publiquement que toute personne ou entité impliquée dans l’expansion du projet E1 fera l’objet de sanctions économiques ciblées. 
• Signaler que la participation au projet risque d’entraîner la perte d’accès aux marchés et aux systèmes financiers canadiens. 
• Appliquer immédiatement des désignations si les contrats sont conclus. 
  
   
  
  CITATIONS 
  
  « Le projet de colonie E1 vise à ancrer de manière permanente le régime d’apartheid israélien en Cisjordanie occupée et à exclure toute possibilité d’autodétermination palestinienne », a déclaré Michael Bueckert, vice-président de Canadiens pour la justice et la paix au Moyen-Orient (CJPME). « Le Canada ne peut prétendre s’opposer à l’expansion des colonies israéliennes tout en refusant d’adopter les outils concrets susceptibles de mettre fin aux ambitions coloniales d’Israël. Il doit y avoir de réelles conséquences économiques pour les particuliers et les entreprises qui cherchent à tirer profit de ces manœuvres. » 
  
  « Un sondage récent montre qu’une majorité de Juifs canadiens ne soutient pas l’expansion des colonies israéliennes dans les territoires palestiniens occupés », a noté Corey Balsam, de l’organisation Voix juives indépendantes. « Si la reconnaissance par le Canada de l’État palestinien veut en effet dire quelque chose, le gouvernement Carney doit aller au-delà des déclarations d’inquiétude et imposer de réelles conséquences au projet de colonisation israélien et aux politiques expansionnistes qui le sous-tendent. » 
  
  « Le projet E1 n’est pas une expansion de routine des colonies. Il s’agit d’un projet délibéré visant à rendre impossible la création d’un État palestinien », a déclaré Karen Rodman, du Mouvement pour une paix juste. « Le Canada ne peut prétendre défendre un ordre fondé sur des règles alors que ses marchés et ses systèmes financiers facilitent cette destruction. » 
  
  CONTEXTE POLITIQUE 
  
  En vertu du droit international, y compris la quatrième Convention de Genève, une puissance occupante ne peut transférer sa population civile dans un territoire occupé ni modifier de manière permanente le caractère de ce territoire sans nécessité absolue. Les colonies israéliennes, y compris le projet E1 et l’expansion de la colonie de Ma’ale Adumim, violent ces normes et menacent les perspectives de paix. 
  
  Le Canada et les gouvernements alliés, notamment le Royaume-Uni, l’Australie et l’Union européenne, ont déjà imposé des sanctions ciblées en réponse à la violence des colons et à la destruction de biens en Cisjordanie. Les leaders de la société civile soulignent que des mesures économiques décisives sont désormais nécessaires pour dissuader des efforts d’annexion à plus grande échelle. 
  
  À l’approche du 6 juillet et face à l’escalade des tensions au Moyen-Orient, les défenseurs de la paix avertissent que la fenêtre d’opportunité pour une action préventive se referme rapidement. 
  
  Contacts médias :  
• Michael Bueckert, CJPME : [listed above]
• Karen Rodman, Just Peace Advocates : [ ]
• Corey Balsam, IJV Canada : [ ]

Originally posted at:  www.justpeaceadvocates.ca/press-release-carney-government-chooses-trump-and-arming-genocide-over-international-law-as-liberals-vote-down-no-more-loopholes-act/

Post Date: March 12, 2026

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MEDIA RELEASE

March 11, 2026

Carney Government Chooses Trump and Arming Genocide Over International Law as Liberals Vote Down ‘No More Loopholes’ Act

Vote Leaves Backdoor Pipeline of Canadian Weapons Flowing Through the U.S. to Israel Wide Open

OTTAWA, ON – The Arms Embargo Now Coalition condemns the Liberal government today after the House of Commons voted down Bill C-233, the No More Loopholes Act, legislation that would have closed a major loophole that allows Canadian military exports to reach Israel through the United States without permits, oversight, or human-rights review.

The vote represents a decisive political choice by the Carney government to maintain Canada’s role in supplying weapons through U.S. military supply chains, even as Israel continues its assault on Gaza and the United States and Israel expand their war across the region.

“This vote was a litmus test,” said Rachel Small, Canada lead with World Beyond War and a spokesperson for the Arms Embargo Now campaign. “The Carney government had a clear opportunity to align Canadian arms exports with international law and human rights. Instead, it chose to align itself with Trump and to preserve the loophole that allows Canadian weapons and explosives to flow into U.S. supply chains fueling Israel’s wars.”

Bill C-233 would have required Canadian military exports to the United States to undergo the same permit requirements and human-rights risk assessments applied to exports to other countries.

The loophole has allowed Canadian weapons components and explosives to move into U.S. weapons manufacturing systems and ultimately into Israeli military operations. In addition, Canadian armoured vehicles have also been witnessed in use by ICE in their deadly operations in Minneapolis, Canadian sensors have been documented being used in the US’ attack on Venezuela, and millions of dollars worth of Canadian parts were used to produce every single F-35 fighter jet used in the US and Israel’s bombing of Iran.

“The government has chosen the side of militarism and war profiteering. The side of Lockheed Martin and the arms industry. The side of Trump and Netanyahu’s expanding wars,” Small added.

Grassroots Organizing Fractures Liberal Caucus

Despite the defeat of the bill, a significant political breakthrough: 15 Liberal MPs broke ranks with their leadership and voted in favour of the legislation following months of organizing across the country, while dozens more abstained instead of voting wit C.

Thousands of Canadians participated in the campaign to close the U.S. loophole, organizing:

• mass email and phone campaigns to MPs
• community canvassing and outreach
• coordinated protests at MP offices
• direct meetings with elected officials
• coordinated media advocacy exposing Canada’s arms exports

This pressure forced the issue into the national spotlight and compelled MPs to publicly take a position.

“For months, communities across the country organized tirelessly to expose Canada’s complicity in war crimes and force their representatives to pick a side,” Boutaïna Chafi, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement said. “Because of that organizing, many MPs broke ranks with their own government to support this bill.”

Evidence of Canada’s Role in the Weapons Supply Chain

The vote took place amid mounting evidence that Canadian weapons components and explosives continue to reach Israel through U.S. military supply chains.

Recent investigative reporting and movement research have documented:

• Canadian components used in F-35 fighter jets deployed by Israel
• Canadian explosives used in U.S. weapons manufacturing plants producing bombs and artillery shells exported to Israel
• That a government agency had itself investigated the risk of Canadian military exports being incorporated into American weapons used by Israel
• That a key Liberal minister was informed of this diversion

These findings directly contradict repeated government claims that Canada had already halted arms transfers to Israel and that Bill C-233 was thus unnecessary.

“The reality is simple,” Chafi said. “Canada never actually stopped arming Israel. The government simply relied on a loophole that allows weapons to transit through the United States without oversight. They chose industry and profit over the concerns of the majority of Canadians who elected them.”

A Vote That Defines the Carney Government

The coalition said the defeat of Bill C-233 signals a broader shift in Canadian policy under the new government.

“Mark Carney has made clear that his vision for Canada is one of deeper integration into the U.S. war economy,” said Yara Shoufani, President of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. “From expanding Canadian military production, to record breaking defence spending on American weapon systems, to aligning Canada’s foreign policy with Washington’s escalating wars, this government is entrenching Canada further inside the U.S. military-industrial complex.”

Advocates say the vote confirms that the government has chosen to prioritize the profits of arms manufacturers and the military interests of Trump and Netanyahu over international law and human rights.

A Movement That Is Not Going Away

The defeat of the bill does not mark the end of the campaign to end Canada’s complicity in Israel’s war.

“The fight to change Canadian law in order to close the U.S. loophole was one tactic in a broader movement to end Canada’s role in arming and supporting Israel’s genocide,” Small said. “Arms Embargo Now is not a momentary campaign. It is a growing movement rooted in grassroots organizing across the country.”

The Arms Embargo Now campaign has already succeeded in exposing Canada’s arms export regime and forcing public debate over the country’s role in global militarism.

“This government may have voted down the bill, but they cannot put the issue back in the shadows,” said Shoufani. “MPs are now on the record. Carney has now picked a side. Canadians now know the truth about Canada’s arms exports and complicity in war crimes.”

The fight for a real, two-way arms embargo on Israel continues.

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###MEDIA CONTACT: Gur Tsabar, movementmediahub[at]gmail[ ]com

Originally posted at:  www.justpeaceadvocates.ca/press-releases-from-peace-groups/

  

Post Date: March 4, 2026

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MEDIA ADVISORY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 3, 2026

Peace groups to protest the Carney Government’s “The Road to NATO’s 5% GDP Target”

Military Conference in Ottawa

(Ottawa) – Peace groups will be holding a rally against the federal government’s plan to increase military spending on Wednesday, March 4 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. outside the Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa. The rally “Hell No to NATO’s 5%! Cut Military Spending and Fund a Green, Care Economy” will protest the CDA Institute’s conference on NATO’s new Defence Investment Pledge of 5% of GDP that will be attended by high-level Canadian, American and European officials including Defence Minister David McGuinty and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Mathew Whitacker.

The coalition cites the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s recent report that showed that annual military spending will increase over three times to $159/billion to reach the target by 2035. According to NATO’s latest Defence Expenditures report, Canada’s military spending was $44 billion in 2024 and will rise to $64 billion this year to hit the 2% GDP target, which is five years faster than scheduled. The Prime Minister committed Canada to meet the NATO’s 5% Defence Investment Pledge by 2035 at the summit in the Netherlands last year.

Canadian Voice of Women activist and organizer Tamara Lorincz denounced the drastic increase to military spending, “We are in a poverty crisis and a climate emergency in this country. The Carney’s government reckless plan to boost the military budget will irresponsibly divert public tax dollars to weapons and war instead of meeting the needs of Canadians. The government should be investing in a green, care economy.”

The coalition of peace groups include the Ottawa Peace Council, the Canadian Peace Congress, the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW), the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom Canada (WILPF), Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Ottawa Quakers, Transition écologique La Pêche Coalition for a Green New Deal and Hills for Peace and Justice, Carleton Public Interest Research Group, World BEYOND War Canada, and the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute.

Mariam Furre, a student and a member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-Canada argued, “It is unacceptable that the federal government is dramatically increasing military spending and investing billions in new weapons systems while people across Canada are struggling to afford basic necessities. Food bank use is at a record high, students are taking on crushing debt to pay tuition, and many of us are working multiple jobs just to cover rent. This is not right.”

Furre added “We reject a political agenda that prioritizes fighter jets and weapons contracts over affordable housing, education, and public services. Public funds should be invested in people not militarization.”

Another organizer Matthew Belloni of the Ottawa Peace Council explained, “The economy affects every one of us. When the economy focuses on war posturing and profiteering to satisfy Trump – it takes away from our government’s ability and capacity help its people here at home. There is a direct cause and effect connection between high military spending and poverty. This is what we hope to call out at the rally.”

The rally “Hell No to NATO’s 5%! Cut Military Spending” will take place on Wednesday, March 4 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. at the Chateau Laurier Hotel, 1 Rideau St, Ottawa. More information can be found on the web site: https://wilpfcanada.ca/panel-protest-against-natos-5-in-ottawa-march-3-5/

The peace groups have also organized a panel event “Holding the Bully’s Coat: Canada, NATO and Trump’s U.S. Empire” on Tuesday, March 3, 7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. at the McNabb Community Centre, 180 Percy St, Ottawa. The speakers are Dimitri Lascaris (Reason to Resist), Tamara Lorincz (WILPF-Canada & VOW), Hala (Palestine Youth Movement), & Larry Wasslen (Canadian Peace Congress) and moderated by Monalisa Ghadben of Films for Falasteen. It’s a free, public event and everyone is welcome.

CDA Institute’s conference military conference “The Road to 5%” for NATO: https://cdainstitute.ca/events/ottawa-conference-march-4th-5th-2026

VOW and WILPF-Canada have also released an open letter to Prime Minister Carney and Defence Minister McGuinty to denounce the federal government’s NATO Defence Investment Pledge and the first Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) and to call for their cancellation: https://wilpfcanada.ca/press-release-womens-peace-groups-call-on-carney-to-cancel-the-defence-industrial-strategy/

For more information or for interviews, please contact:

• Matthew Belloni, Ottawa Peace Council, Email: mbelloni90[at]yahoo[ ]ca /
• Mariam Furre, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Canada, Email: furremariam[at]gmail[ ]com / Web site: wilpfcanada.ca
• Tamara Lorincz, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, Email: tlorincz[at]dal[ ]ca /
• Web site: http://vowpeace.org

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PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 2, 2026

Women’s peace groups call on Carney to cancel Defence Industrial Strategy and cut military spending

(Vancouver) – The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)-Canada have released an open letter to Prime Minister Carney and Defence Minister McGuinty to denounce the federal government’s first Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) and call for its cancellation.

VOW and WILPF-Canada are concerned that the DIS will expedite the procurement of weapons and the doubling of arms exports, which will cause harm to women and worsen climate change. They claim that the DIS is an irresponsible and reckless plan that will militarize the Canadian economy and risk more violence and war.

Under the DIS, the federal government will spend $180 billion for procurement of new weapons systems and $290 billion in defence-related capital investment and infrastructure in the next ten years, which is a combined $470 billion to support the military. VOW and WILPF-Canada argue that spending tax dollars on the military is a trade-off to federal spending on health care, housing, child care, and education.

Tamara Lorincz, VOW’s senior researcher, stated that “The research shows that it is mostly men who benefit from higher military spending and investment in the defence sector.” She explained that the federal government’s gender analysis of the budget, Canada Strong, showed that military spending disproportionately advantages men.

Lorincz also challenged the DIS’s claims that it will create “125,000 high-paying careers” as a boon to workers in Canada. She argued that vast majority of those jobs will go to men as referenced in the 2024 report, State of Canada’s Defence Industry, which was prepared by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI). The ISED-CADSI report revealed that women comprise only 27% of the defence industry. Lorincz argued, “it will be predominantly men who will get these well-paying jobs to manufacture more weapons for the male-dominated military to wage war.” She added that more jobs could be created in the care economy providing programs and services that would be productive and help more Canadians.

VOW and WILPF-Canada also argue that the 58-page DIS ignores the adverse social and environmental impacts from defence procurement. There is no gender-based analysis or environmental impact statement included in the DIS. As well, arms control, disarmament, non-proliferation and peace are absent from the strategy.

Ellen Woodsworth, cochair of WILPF-Canada questioned, “Why is so much money going to the military while more Canadians are desperate and living in poverty and struggling to make ends meet, especially single-mothers and elderly women?” Woodsworth also explained that the DIS’s focus on weapons procurement and production undermines Canada’s commitment to the United Nations’s Charter and Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. She added “The federal government still has not fully implemented the recommendations of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission and National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which requires substantial federal funding.”

VOW and WILPF-Canada highlighted the key finding of the UN Secretary General’s annual report on Women Peace and Security that stated “Women peacebuilders’ universal message to governments and armed actors is unequivocal: end the wars, respect international law and disarm.” The women’s group contend that the Canadian government is doing the exact opposite and ignoring the UN recommendations and the voices of women and wasting public resources on re-armament and the military.

The women’s groups also worry that the DIS will prevent Canada from achieving the Paris Agreement and rapidly reduce emissions because the military is the largest consumer of fossil fuel in the federal government and weapons systems are carbon-intensive. New fighter jets, armed drones, warships, armoured vehicles and missile launchers consume excessive petroleum and cause carbon lock-in for many years. According to the UN’s recent report, The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future, “Military expenditure harms the planet because it is emissions-intensive. Each dollar allocated to the military generates more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of a dollar spent elsewhere.”

For WILPF-Canada and VOW, the DIS will create an American-style, market-driven military-industrial complex with little oversight that will enrich defence contractors and investors, but will impoverish Canadians and exacerbate the climate crisis. They are calling for the cancellation of the DIS and for the federal government to release a strategy for a green, care economy and a white paper on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. They are also calling on the government not increase military spending to the NATO 5% GDP target.

They have released an open letter to Prime Minister Carney and Defence Minister McGuinty to cancel the DIS, which is published at wilpfcanada.ca

WILPF-Canada and VOW with other peace and anti-war groups including the Ottawa Peace Council and the Canadian Peace Congress are having a public panel event “Holding the Bully’s Coat: Canada, NATO and Trump’s U.S. Empire” on Tuesday, March 3 from 7:30-9:00 p.m. at the McNabb Community Centre, 180 Percy St, Ottawa. They are also having a rally “Hell No to NATO’s 5%! Cut Military Spending and Fund a Green, Care Economy” outside the Chateau Laurier hotel during the CDA Institute’s “The Road to 5%” conference on Wednesday, March 4 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. at 1 Rideau Street in Ottawa.

For more information or for interviews, please contact:

• Ellen Woodsworth, Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom-Canada, Email: ewoodsworth[at]icloud[ ]com /
• Tamara Lorincz, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, Email: tlorincz[at]dal[ ]ca /

Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) is the largest national feminist peace organization with members and chapters across the country. VOW was established in 1960 and is a non-partisan, non-governmental organization comprised of a network of diverse women. VOW’s main office is in Toronto. VOW runs many campaigns and education programs related to women, peace, disarmament, and anti-militarism. VOW has consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and every year brings a delegation of Canadian women to the UN Commission on the Status of Women conference. For over 60 years, VOW has tirelessly advocated for a world without war. VOW stands for a feminist peace based on nonviolence, disarmament, diplomacy and common security with gender equality.

Web site: http://vowpeace.org

Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) Canada is a membership-led organization committed to a feminist peace, social justice, and gender equality. We are a non-partisan, non-governmental organization members across the country. We are the national section of WILPF International, which is the world’s longest standing women peace organization founded in 1915, with 32 Sections and 13 Groups across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Two of our leaders, Jane Addams and Emily Greene Balch, won the Nobel Peace Prize. WILPF International is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and has a disarmament program called Reaching Critical Will in New York. Our Peace Women program monitors the United Nations’ Women, Peace & Security agenda and we have an international Environment Working Group.

Web site: wilpfcanada.ca

Originally posted at:  www.justpeaceadvocates.ca/press-release-schools-promoting-israeli-military-must-lose-public-subsidies/

Schools promoting Israeli military must lose public subsidies 

Communiqué immédiat 

27 février 2026 

Les écoles qui font la promotion de l’armée israélienne doivent perdre leurs subventions publiques 

Jeudi, La Presse a publié une enquête détaillant l’implication de l’armée israélienne dans deux écoles juives de Montréal. Les écoles Herzliah et Bialik ont reçu au moins 14 visites différentes de soldat·es israélien·nes actif·ves ou ancien·nes depuis octobre 2023. Le gymnase de l’école est également utilisé pour enseigner aux élèves les méthodes de combat militaires israéliennes. 

« Toutes les subventions publiques devraient être retirées aux écoles qui invitent des soldats israéliens à endoctriner les enfants », a déclaré Bruce Katz, de Palestinian and Jewish Unity. « Alors que les forces israéliennes commettent un génocide à Gaza, les contribuables ne devraient pas subventionner les efforts visant à inciter les jeunes Québécois·es à se joindre à elles. C’est révoltant. » 

Selon La Presse, le ministère de l’Éducation du Québec a versé 8 millions de dollars à Bialik et Herzliah en 2023-2024. L’école secondaire Herzliah fait partie du réseau des écoles Azrieli à Montréal, enregistré sous le nom de United Talmud Torahs of Montreal. 

En plus de cette subvention publique directe, ces écoles sont enregistrées comme organismes de bienfaisance, ce qui leur permet d’accorder des crédits d’impôt aux donateurs. Elles reçoivent également des sommes importantes d’autres organismes de bienfaisance enregistrés. 

Il existe une montagne de preuves démontrant que les écoles québécoises subventionnées par l’État consacrent des ressources et une énergie considérables à la promotion de l’armée israélienne et du sionisme. 

Outre l’enquête menée par La Presse, plusieurs écoles, telles que l’Académie hébraïque de Montréal et d’autres à travers le pays, comme les écoles TanenbaumCHAT et Bnei Akiva, ont accueilli des soldats israéliens. 

Les organismes de bienfaisance enregistrés qui font la promotion agressive d’une armée étrangère et incitent les enfants à s’enrôler enfreignent les lignes directrices de l’Agence du revenu du Canada qui interdisent aux organismes de bienfaisance de « soutenir les forces armées d’un autre pays ». L’ARC a été invitée à enquêter sur au moins une de ces écoles. 

De plus, aider et encourager l’enrôlement dans une armée étrangère est illégal en vertu de la Loi sur l’enrôlement à l’étranger. Cette Loi stipule que « toute personne qui, au Canada, recrute ou incite de quelque manière que ce soit une personne ou un groupe de personnes à s’enrôler ou à accepter une commission ou un engagement dans les forces armées d’un État étranger ou dans d’autres forces armées opérant dans cet État est coupable d’une infraction ». 

En octobre 2020, l’Institut canadien de politique étrangère, Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste et Palestiniens et Juifs Unis ont présenté un mémoire au procureur général Lametti concernant les écoles et autres entités qui recrutent illégalement pour l’armée israélienne au Canada. M. Lametti a demandé à la GRC d’enquêter. 

Il a récemment été rapporté que plus de 1 500 Canadien·nes servaient dans l’armée israélienne l’année dernière. 

Ce soutien public, notamment les exonérations fiscales accordées aux organismes caritatifs enregistrés, doit cesser, et ces écoles et leurs dirigeant·es doivent faire l’objet d’une enquête pour avoir aidé et encouragé le recrutement pour une armée étrangère. Une armée qui commet des crimes de guerre et un génocide. 

Contact: Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste, info@justpeaceadvocates.ca 

Schools promoting Israeli military must lose public subsidies 

Thursday La Presse published an investigation detailing Israeli military involvement with two Montreal Jewish schools. Herzliah and Bialik school has had at least 14 different visits from active or former Israeli soldiers since October 2023. A school gym is also used to teach students Israeli military combat methods. 

“All public subsidies should be withdrawn from schools bringing Israeli soldiers to indoctrinate children”, said Bruce Katz from Palestinian and Jewish Unity. “While Israeli forces commit genocide in Gaza, taxpayers should not subsidize efforts to induce young Quebecers to join them. It’s sick.” 

According to La Presse, Quebec’s ministry of education gave $8 million to Bialik and Herzliah in 2023-24. The Herzliah High School is part of the Azrieli Schools network in Montreal registered as United Talmud Torahs of Montreal.  

In addition to this direct public subsidy, these schools are registered charities, benefiting from the ability to grant tax credits to donors. They also receive significant sums from other registered charities. 

There is much evidence that publicly subsidized Quebec schools devote significant resources and energy to promoting the Israeli military and Zionism. 

In addition to La Presse’s investigation, there are several schools such as the Hebrew Academy in Montreal and others across the country, such as TanenbaumCHAT and Bnei Akiva Schools that have hosted Israeli soldiers.  

Registered charities aggressively promoting a foreign military and inducing kids to join is in violation of Canada Revenue Agency guidelines that prohibit charities from “supporting the armed forces of another country.” The CRA has been asked to investigate at least one of these schools. 

More than this, aiding and abetting the joining of a foreign military is illegal under the Foreign Enlistment Act. The Foreign Enlistment Act states, “Any person who, within Canada, recruits or otherwise induces any person or body of persons to enlist or to accept any commission or engagement in the armed forces of any foreign state or other armed forces operating in that state is guilty of an offence.” 

In October 2020, the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, Just Peace Advocates and Palestinian and Jewish Unity made a submission to Attorney General Lametti in regard to schools and other entities illegally recruiting for the IDF in Canada. Lametti asked the RCMP to investigate.  

It has recently been reported that more than 1,500 Canadians were serving in the Israeli military last year. 

This public support, including tax exemptions through charitable registration, needs to stop, and these schools and their leadership need to be investigated for aiding and abetting recruitment for a foreign military.  A military that is committing war crimes and genocide. 

Contact: Just Peace Advocates info[at]justpeaceadvocates[ ]ca