On Jan. 30, a striking piece of pop-up theatre was staged near Vancouver’s art gallery. A man dressed as a Hamas militant marched a woman in a white top and grey sweatpants down the street—her hands tied together, her crotch blood-stained. Behind them was a placard: “This is what free Palestine looks like.”
It was a re-enactment of one of the most infamous videos shot on Oct. 7, in which Hamas terrorists kidnapped an Israeli teenager and stuffed her into a black Jeep. The video fuelled widespread speculation that the young woman had been sexually abused by Hamas terrorists.
The Vancouver protest was put on by Nonviolent Opposition Against Hate (NOAH), a fledgling organization created by two Israeli expats that aims to counteract the louder anti-Israel voices in British Columbia’s largest cities. Those organizers are not alone—other groups have staged similar protests, including one organization called Canadians for Israel, in Toronto, which held a streetside re-enactment on Feb. 14 of the same kidnapping of Naama Levy, 19. While the stated goal of the Toronto event was to call attention to the female hostages still believed to be in captivity in Gaza, and pressure the federal government to do more to demand their immediate release, the group on the West Coast aims to warn Canadians that Hamas’s message represents real danger for all Jews around the world.
On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, NOAH co-founder Asaf Arad explains why he personally dressed up like a Hamas terrorist and marched in Vancouver to make the powerful statement.
What we talked about
- Learn more about NOAH on Instagram, and watch their street demonstration on YouTube
- Follow the Toronto activist group Canadians for Israel on Facebook, and read about them in The CJN
- Read more about the Enough_T.O. sticker initiative, recently launched to bring back civility and dialogue in Canada’s largest city
Credits
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.
