The Rise of Zionist Vigilante Groups in Canada
Updated September 18, 2024
Background
In the aftermath of Israel’s military response to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, a wave of pro-Palestinian protests and demonstrations swept across the globe. Canada, with its sizable Middle Eastern diaspora, was no exception. A notable feature of this mobilization was the emergence of pro-Palestinian encampments on university campuses in several major cities, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. These encampments, often established in high-traffic public spaces, served as hubs for community organizing, solidarity-building, and advocacy for Palestinian rights. They also became focal points for tensions between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups. As students return to campus and demonstrations recommence, Zionist vigilante groups have begun organizing counterprotests and “patrols” on university campuses and at Palestine protests.
At the time of writing, media coverage of these Zionist patrols has been relatively limited in quantity and scope. Journalists have not discussed the more controversial elements and generally provided sympathetic descriptions of the groups, even inappropriately describing them reductively as “safety” and “security” patrols. This essay is intended to help journalists understand the origins, beliefs, and tactics of these emerging groups, especially in the early phase of these developments. It will also provide an overview of the media coverage, which has fallen short of providing Canadian readers with a comprehensive analysis.
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