'Shocking attack on free expression': Canadian politician condemns arrest of pro-Palestine activist

A senior Canadian politician has condemned the recent arrest of Yves Engler, a Montreal-based author and activist, who has spoken about against the Israeli regime and its genocidal war in Gaza. 

Engler was released a few days after he was arrested. He is a longtime supporter of the Palestinian cause.

Reacting to his release, Alex Tyrrell, who served as the leader of the Green Party of Quebec, said in a post on social media that “Yves Engler should never have been arrested” in the first place.

“Responding to hateful and racist Zionist material on Twitter is not a crime in Canada.”

“Challenging hate-based narratives is a noble cause. Yves Engler is a hero and deserves everyone’s support,” Tyrrell said.

Engler was arrested in Montreal on February 20 for his fierce criticism of the Israeli regime and its genocidal campaign in Gaza.

His arrest came against the backdrop of a complaint lodged by Dahlia Kurtz, a notorious Zionist figure in Montreal, over Engler’s pro-Palestine activities and criticism of Kurtz’s anti-Palestine rhetoric.

Engler says he simply responded to Kurtz’s “racist, violent, anti-Palestinian posts” on X, rejecting Kurtz’s claim that he harassed her.

Montreal police arrested Engler in what Tyrell described as “a shocking attack on free expression and democratic rights and criticism of Israel in Canada – a country that’s supposed to be a free, democratic society.”

“The police should never have given in to the pressure and agreed to pursue Neil Oberman’s politically motivated hate campaign — a campaign aimed at appearing more Zionist than his local Liberal opponent, the ultra-genocidal nutcase Anthony Housefather,” Tyrrell said, referring to the conservative party’s pro-Zionist politicians.

‘Nothing short of Kafkaesque’: Netizens react to arrest of pro-Palestine activist in Canada

Social media users, including prominent journalists and activists, have lashed out at the Canadian authorities for arresting Yves Engler, a Montreal-based activist and author.

“These two idiots are trying to outcompete each other as the ‘most Zionist candidate’ in the Mount Royal district. They will stop at nothing.”

Tyrell said the conservative party, under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre, has adopted a radically oppressive narrative as to how people who support Palestine should be treated in the country.

“Conservatives are ready to destroy freedom of speech, throw people in jail for frivolous and unsubstantiated false allegations,” he said. 

“Poilievre has even called for the deportation of pro-Palestine protesters. All of these individuals are racists, anti-Palestinian, and should never be elected to the federal government.”

Targeting people for their involvement in the Palestine solidarity campaign is not unusual in Canada.

Engler has written 13 books on Canadian history and foreign policy, including “Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid,” published in 2010, in which he exposes the Canadian government’s longtime backing of Israel’s settler-colonial project at the expense of indigenous Palestinians.

Since October 2023, Engler has tirelessly confronted Canadian politicians about Ottawa’s participation in the massacre of Palestinians through arms sales and economic ties to Israel.

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