Canadian Activist Charlotte Kates of U.S. and Canadian-Designated terrorist group Samidoun Praises Nasrallah at His Beirut Gravesite in Hizbullah TV Interview: We Should All Strive to Live Up to His Example; Highlights U.S. Campus Activism
Canadian activist Charlotte Kates, international coordinator of Samidoun, was interviewed by Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah–Lebanon) at the gravesite of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah on the outskirts of Beirut. In the interview, she praised Nasrallah as a 'great figure of our era' and said that everyone should strive to live up to the example he set.
Kates discussed Samidoun's designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group and a terrorist entity by both the United States and Canada in October 2024. She also addressed the case of Helyeh Doutaghi, who was fired from her position at Yale Law School due to her ties to Samidoun. Kates spoke at length about the role of campus activism in advancing the Palestinian cause, citing a video call event hosted by Columbia University, Resistance 101, hosted by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) student group, in which she and her husband, Khaled Barakat, participated. Notably, Columbia University activist arrested by ICE and slated for deportation for his support of terrorist groups, Mahmoud Khalil, has been identified as a leader of CUAD at the time. The interview was posted on the English-language website of Al-Manar TV on April 18, 2025.
Kates was arrested in April 2024 on hate speech charges following remarks she made at a Vancouver rally, in which she glorified the October 7 attacks and Palestinian terrorist organizations. On November 15, 2024, her home was raided by Vancouver police in connection with the same case.
Khaled Barakat is the founder of Samidoun and a leader within Masar Badil, an organization closely affiliated with Samidoun. He has been identified by the United States as a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. A Canadian citizen, Barakat has been residing in Beirut for several months following his terrorist designation by Canada. Kates traveled to Lebanon to attend the funeral of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah in February 2025 and, as far as it appears, has not returned to Canada since.
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