Samidoun

Samidoun (—see sumud for the cultural context of this term), officially Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, is a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel advocacy group based in Canada that has been designated as a terrorist group by a number of global governments. Since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel and ensuing Gaza war, Samidoun has been a prominent organizer of Palestinian solidarity protests in the U.S. and Canada. Samidoun's co-founder, Charlotte Kates, called the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack "a brave and heroic operation" and said "That is something we stand by 100%." Samidoun, which has been described as "pro-Hamas", has celebrated the October 7 attack. Samidoun and its fiscal sponsor, the Arizona-based Alliance for Global Justice, have been de-platformed from a number of major financial platforms.

Samidoun has been accused by a number of governments of raising funds for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a political and militant group that the United States, European Union, and several other countries designate as a terrorist organization. On that basis, Samidoun has been designated as a terrorist group by Israel and Canada. Samidoun has also been restricted by Germany and the United States.

Leaders of Samidoun have led "death to Canada, death to the United States and death to Israel" chants and have said that the chants accurately reflect the group's goal of destroying "colonial, capitalist states." Samidoun coordinator Mohammed Khatib has called for the "liberation of Palestine, and the liberation of all of us, and the defeat of the E.U., and Zionism, and the U.S. and all of this imperialist capitalist society."

History

Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Samidoun was founded in 2011 after a hunger strike in Israeli prisons organized by the PFLP. Samidoun was incorporated as a federal not-for-profit agency in Canada in 2021.

Samidoun is led by Charlotte Lynn Kates, Dave Diewert and Thomas Gerhard Hofland. Kates is a New Jersey native and Rutgers University graduate who is married to Samidoun founder, Khaled Barakat, who was born near Jerusalem. Barakat is considered to be a PFLP leader by the US government. He was deported from the United States in 2003. The couple are banned from entering the European Union. Kates was arrested in April 2024 after she praised the October 7 attacks, led a chant of "Long live October 7," and referred to a number of designated terrorist organizations as heroes at a demonstration in Vancouver. She travelled to Iran to accept an Islamic Human Rights and Human Dignity Award in August 2024. B'nai Brith Canada is petitioning the Canadian government to deport both Kates and Barakat. Kates has said that Hamas and Hezbollah are "not engaging in terrorism" but are "engaging in a national liberation struggle." As of May 2025, the Canadian government had not decided whether to approve the hate crime charges against Kates.

In 2021, Israel's Defense Ministry designated the association as a terrorist organization, based on recommendations from the Shin Bet and the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing. The designation alleged that, although its official aim is to assist in securing prisoners' release, it effectively operates as a front for the PFLP abroad.

In November 2023, the association was banned by the Federal Ministry of the Interior of Germany for allegedly distributing candy to celebrate the October 7 attacks.

On 1 October 2024, the Parliament of the Netherlands voted to recommend that Samidoun be designated as a terrorist organization.

Meta Platforms and YouTube have blocked certain online platforms of the organization, citing breaches of their community guidelines.

October 2024 Vancouver rally

On the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks, a speaker at a rally in Vancouver organized by Samidoun identified themselves with Hezbollah and Hamas and called for death to the United States, Canada, and Israel. Participants at the same event were seen burning a Canadian flag. Samidoun confirmed and defended the actions, saying they accurately reflected its goal of "destroying the colonialist, capitalist state of Canada" and stand by the "death to Canada" phrase "as the call to action that it is".

On 15 October 2024, in a joint action, the Government of Canada declared Samidoun a terrorist entity, and the US Department of the Treasury sanctioned Samidoun as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.The SDN status is distinct from the Foreign Terrorist Organization status; that is, the United States did not designate Samidoun a terrorist organization. The United States sanctioned Samidoun for alleged association with terrorist organizations, calling Samidoun a "sham charity." Samidoun is on the SDN list under the Specially Designated Global Terrorist program, which includes both organizations considered capable of terrorism and their alleged associates.

Funding

Samidoun's fiscal sponsor is the Arizona-based Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ). As the fiscal sponsor for Samidoun, AFGJ and Samidoun are legally indistinguishable.

Since 2019, various financial platforms, including American Express, PayPal, Donorbox, Plaid, and Discover, have stopped processing funding for Samidoun and the AFGJ, "citing fears of relations to terror activity." In February 2023, the AFGJ announced that the company that handled its credit card transactions had blocked its ability to process donations due to allegations that Samidoun was involved in terrorist activities. Donors to AFGJ have included the Tides Foundation and the New Venture Fund, although the New Venture Fund announced after the October 7 terrorist attacks that it would discontinue all funding to AFGJ, saying "We condemn terrorism and violence against civilians in all forms and do not support any projects or provide any grants to organizations that fund terrorism." In November 2023, the Schmidt Family Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and Arnold Ventures also pledged to discontinue support of the AFGJ. The Tides Foundation did not announce plans to discontinue support of AFGJ.

National bans and sanctions

Samidoun is listed as a terrorist group by:
* (since 2021)
* (since 15 October 2024)

Samidoun is otherwise restricted by the following states:

* (since 2 November 2023)
* (sanctioned since 15 October 2024)

Notes

See also

* 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
* List of designated terrorist groups

References

External links

* {{official website, https://samidoun.net/

Palestinian solidarity movement
Organizations designated as terrorist by Israel
Organizations designated as terrorist by Canada
Palestinian entities subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions
Banned political parties in Germany
Political organizations established in 2012
Anti-Canadian sentiment
Anti-Zionist organizations
Organizations based in Vancouver