, 06.17.2024 10:05 AM

My latest: Camp Hamas

The photograph shows six young people in keffiyehs, some with their faces covered, sitting outside reading quotations from Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong.  The poster has been circulated by the McGill University chapter of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), which is a recognized club at the Montreal university.

“The Summer Youth Program,” the poster reads, “Launching 06.17.2024.”

One is holding a machine gun.  Another has a rifle.  

The poster is still on the Instagram account of SPHR McGill. When it appeared last week, it caused a firestorm, and headlines around the world.  The Jerusalem Post called it “Camp Intifada.” Britain’s The Guardian observed how the poster “featured masked guerillas.”

A federal cabinet minister, very close to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (himself a McGill alumni), issued a statement condemning the poster. “Enough is enough, this is hate speech and incitement to hate, pure and simple,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller wrote on X. “De-escalation at McGill has clearly failed. This needs to end!”

Many questions arise.  Who is SPHR, the group that is promoting the “Summer Camp?” What is the camp’s program? Who are the people in the photo on the poster? Is it legal to seemingly advertise a “camp” like that? What, if anything, are the authorities doing about it?

First off: who is Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR)? 

SPHR is a club recognized by the student union at McGill. It was founded more than two decades ago, and is supported by the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), in the past via funds it receives from student tuition. The SSMU describe SPHR on their web site as “a student-led club that champions the Palestinian liberation struggle settler-colonialism, apartheid, and genocide based on principles of anti-colonial solidarity. We also advocate for the rights of Palestinian students in the face of racism, misinformation, harrassment [sic], and surveillance at McGill, as well as campaign for the end of the University’s complicity in the colonization of Palestine.”

But SPHR McGill – like SPHR “clubs” found at several Canadian universities, like Concordia, Western, Lethbridge, Calgary, McMaster, Queen’s and the University of Ottawa, among others –  isn’t really what it claims to be.  SPHR is really just a front for another, more openly-extremist group: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

SJP is one of the most powerful anti-Israel – and antisemitic – groups in the world, with chapters at universities and colleges across Canada, the United States and overseas.  Founded at UC Berkeley in 2001, SJP has been linked to extremism and terrorism from the start.  Since the October 7 massacre by Hamas in Israel, its leadership and membership have become more and more open in their support for Hamas, for which SJP provides public relations in North America.  

In Canada, SJP/SPHR voices applauded the atrocities of that day.  At McGill, SJP/SPHR posted this online on October 8: “MONTREAL: ALL OUT FOR PALESTINE – Last night, the resistance in Gaza led a heroic attack against the occupation and has taken over 30 hostages …Their march toward liberation is as monumental as their rockets – the resistance will free the prisoners who have been facing a fascist attack by the occupation and liberate our land from the fangs of the enemy. The resistance has set a new precedent for the Palestinian struggle – our right to resist the occupation, to defend the land, and to free our prisoners are the utmost priorities. We call on our people in Montreal and in the far diaspora to celebrate the resistance’s success, to uplift their calls, and to march this Sunday Oct 8 at 2pm at Dorchester Square.”

McGill’s provost condemned the club’s celebration of the October 7 and hostage-taking, just as its president, Deep Saini, condemned the “Summer Youth Program” poster: “This is extremely alarming…It has attracted international media attention, and many in our community have understandably reached out to express grave concerns — concerns that I share.”

But, despite all the protestations, the SJP chapter calling itself SPHR remains a recognized and supported club at McGill University.

Next: what is the “Summer Camp” program?

In their explanation, rife with errors, SPHR/SJP write: “We pledge to educate the youth of montreal [sic] and redefine McGill’s ‘elite’ instutional [sic] legacy by transformining [sic] its space into one of revolutionary education. The daily schedule will include physical activity, Arabic language instruction, cultural crafts, political discussions, historical and revolutionary lessons.” The camp would be offered by students, community members and McGill faculty, SPHR/SJP say.  

The first week will focus on “the history of the Palestinian resistance.” The second, “the ongoing Nakba” – Nakba being the Arabic word for catastrophe, and what Hamas has said is the “natural extension of the Palestinian people’s right and resistance.”

Week three will be focussed on “different fronts of the movement.” The final week is about “media after October 7.” It is worth noting that the SPHR/SJP chapter at McGill called Hamas’ slaughter of 1,200 men, woman, children and babies on October 7 “heroic,” quote unquote.  The university and the student union insisted that SPHR/SJP remove “McGill” from their name after that.  But, as noted, they have allowed it to remain a recognized club – and do not disclose how much funding it has received via the university and the student union in the past.

Who, then, are the six people pictured on the poster for the camp?

The photos are members of the Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), when the PLO was considered a terrorist organization.  The photo was taken in Jordan in 1970.  The group are showing interest in Mao Zedong’s words, presumably, because the Chinese Communist party supported the PLO at that time.

Asked by the media about the image of masked gunmen advertising a “Summer Camp,” a co-ordinator of Concordia’s SPHR/SJP chapter, Zeyad Abisaab, shrugged, saying people should stop focussing on the photo. “It’s a space for people to learn. It’s an educational space,” he said of the camp.

Two final questions, then: is it legal to advertise a camp where the use of weapons is promoted? And what, if anything, are the authorities doing about it?

These questions are the easiest to answer. The only place where firearms training is legal in Canada is with accredited Canadian Firearms Safety courses, approved by the RCMP. Since 1977, no one – other than the police or the military – may possess automatic weapons, full stop.  Sentences for those convicted of possessing a light machine gun like the one in the “camp” photo range up to ten years in federal prison.

Finally, what are the authorities doing about the SPHR/SJP “Summer Camp,” with its wilful promotion of hateful words and images?

Nothing.  Nothing at all.  Camp started this week.

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9 Comments

  1. Joan Abernethy says:

    Do you know where the camp is being held? How much it costs? Any other details? How many youths have signed up and what are their ages?

  2. Warren,

    Now it remains to be seen if Miller will be joined publicly by the other Quebec federal cabinet ministers, and if not, why not? Then we get to watch what our precious PMO will do…agree with his comments or drop a load of bricks on him. I know which one I expect.

  3. Robin Day says:

    not sure where to bring this up, but if you read today’s “The Bureau”, it provides details on Trudeau’s senate appointments of two communist agents. Surely senate appointments are vetted by both RCMP and CSIS. In spite of that, Trudeau appointed two communist agents to the Canadian Senate. What does this say about the PM? I can only assume that at least he is a communist sympathizer and at worst, is compromised.

    • Doug says:

      One is a Harper appointee

      • Doug,

        Let’s circle back to the NSICOP report. Now, we further understand Poilièvre’s disastrous position on the same. Pierre thinks don’t read equals don’t know, but the problem is that he ALREADY knows. He refuses to get the security clearance because then he would have to read the full report which details how more than one CPC MPs has probably been the PRC’s handmaiden…is Pierre going to still look the other way when it comes time to choose MPs for cabinet? He’s looking for major trouble and will definitely find it post-cabinet construction.

        Far better to take our political lumps now and get rid of our traitors in the Commons than to do nothing and royally live to regret it later. I bet that we have more traitors in caucus than the Liberals have. Voilà, ostrich time! (No kidding.)

        He needs Harper’s advice, and he needs it yesterday.

        • Peter Williams says:

          If Pierre Poilievre reads the report, isn’t he prohibited from talking about it? Or revealing its contents?

          So how could he remove supposed Conservative MPs named in the report?

          • Peter,

            Report or no report, didn’t the Liberals kick one of their MPs out of caucus, and isn’t that MP now sitting in Parliament as an independent? That’s how.

      • It’s amusing to see us going after YouKnowWhoMinisterTM, a Chinese toady. But he’s perfectly safe in the cabinet despite that. His record is there for all to see, but the PMO doesn’t care. We better have the hard goods before we expose and take on this idiot. Otherwise, we might as well drop it.

  4. Derek Pearce says:

    The hypocrisy of the Universities (if they do nothing about this) is astounding. If a right-wing group advertised a “summer camp” with masked gunman on the posters it would be condemned and taken down in a heartbeat.

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