I would like to express my full support for Ezra Karmel’s Jan. 23 article, “Hamas is not al-Qaeda,” and I believe his position is also supported by a Supreme Court Justice’s opinion.
In September 2010, Supreme Court Justice Richard Mosley ruled on the case of the Federal Government barring British MP George Galloway from entering Canada (Toronto Coalition to the Stop War et al. v. The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness et al.) In his decision, Justice Mosley not only allowed Mr. Galloway to enter Canada, he gave his opinion that one does not “support terrorism,” and break Canada’s anti-terrorism law, by giving humanitarian aid to the elected, civilian Hamas government of Gaza. The court clearly differentiated between the military wing of the Hamas organisation and the duly elected civilian arm of the organisation. To quote Justice Mosley, “To hold otherwise could ensnare innocent Canadians who make donations to organisations they believe, in good faith, to be engaged in humanitarian works.” Canadian charities, such as NECEF Sabeel Canada, support humanitarian work in Gaza, and even give tax receipts for donations, without any fear of arrest for “supporting terrorism.”
In 2013, I myself spent over four months in Gaza, volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement, donating my time, expertise, and funds to repair Hamas government fire trucks, ambulances, and a research ship, and generally assisting Palestinian fishers, farmers and refugees oppressed by the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza
(more of my “incriminating” evidence at kevinneish.ca).
As per Justice Mosley’s wise counsel, my humanitarian actions did not support terrorism, regardless of what our present extremist, fundamentalist, pro Zionist Federal government tries to say. Everyone needs to fully exercise and defend their freedoms of expression, thought and action, or you will lose them.
Kevin Neish
Victoria
