Celina Mercado

Overview

Celina Mercado has expressed hatred of Zionists, promoted incitement and spread hatred of Israel.

Mercado has also engaged in anti-Israel activism with the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As of March 2023, Mercado’s LinkedIn profile said she had been studying for an advanced diploma in graphic design from Humber College (Humber), in Toronto, since January 2023, and was slated to graduate in April 2026.

As of September 2022, Mercado’s LinkedIn said she had studied for a diploma in advertising from Humber, from 2019 to 2022.

As of March 2023, Mercado’s LinkedIn said she had been working as a barista at Starbucks in Milton, Ontario, since December 2021. As of the same date, Mercado’s LinkedIn also said she was a “Certified Eyelash Extension Technician.”

Also as of March 2023, Mercado’s LinkedIn said she was located in Milton, Ontario.

As of August 2021, Mercado used the handle “@celitina” on Twitter.

As of March 2023, Mercado used the handle “@ce1itna” on her second Twitter account.

Hatred of Zionists

On May 8, 2021, Mercado tweeted: “Get the f**k off my page you’re literally an ugly a** zionist.”

Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.

Also on May 8, 2021, Mercado tweeted: “Free Palestine and if u think otherwise f**king block me u ugly a** zionists.”

On May 11, 2021, during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW) against Hamas, Mercado tweeted: “...f**k you zionists you guys p**s me the f**k off.”

In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.

On the same day, Mercado tweeted: “all zionists should BLOCK ME

F**K YALL.”

Also on May 11, 2021, Mercado tweeted: “U zionists make my blood f**king boil. How do u excuse murder and terrorism on Palestinians in their own country when they didn’t f**king do s**t.”

Also on the same day, Mercado tweeted: “i don’t care who you are. if you’re a zionist, you’re automatically UGLY.”

On May 13 2021, Mercado tweeted: “i’m being so serious please block me if you’re a zionist."

On May 17 2021, Mercado tweeted: “zionists are so evil.”

Also on May 17 2021, Mercado tweeted: “he’s a zionist. knew there was a reason why i never got into his music.” Mercado was responding to a tweet about British singer Harry Styles.

On June 4 2021, Mercado tweeted in response to another tweet about Harry Styles: “whoever put this on my tl [timeline] needs to f**k off i don’t wanna see his zionist a**.”

Promoting Incitement

As of June 2023, Mercado’s Linktr.ee page said: “#FreePalestine #SavePalestine #SaveSheikhJarrah #AlAqsaUnderAttack.”

In May 2021, calls to “save” Sheikh Jarrah, a Jerusalem neighborhood at the center of a property dispute, led to violence against Israelis and were one of the leading factors in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists firing over 4,300 rockets from Gaza into Israel that month.

The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state. Such propaganda has led to multiple periods of violence against Israeli civilians.

On May 10, 2021, Mercado tweeted: “here is your daily reminder: #FreePalestine and #SaveSheikhJarrah. also: F**K ISRAEL.”

In May 2021, Palestinian violence erupted in anticipation of an Israel High Court ruling on eviction proceedings concerning over 70 Palestinian tenants illegally residing in Jewish-owned properties in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

Hatred of Israel

On May 16, 2021, during OGW, Mercado tweeted: “S**trael

im calling it that from now on.”

On May 15 2021, Mercado tweeted: “Israel literally doesn’t exist so what is there to destroy lol.” She was responding to a tweet that read: “Free Palestine = Destroy Israel…”

On May 9, 2021, Mercado tweeted: “Israel literally attacks Palestinians unprovoked all the f**king time…”

OnMay 8, 2021, Mercado tweeted: “Israelis are literally t*rrorists and you cannot tell me otherwise.”

On January 3, 2021, Mercado tweeted about Israeli model Yael Shelbia: “Idk about y’all but this person don’t exist to me.

#FreePalestine.”

Mercado was referring to a tweet announcing that Shelbia was “named ‘2020’s Most Beautiful Woman in the World’.”

Mercado added to the same thread: “palestinian queens only idk a b**ch named *srael.”

Anti-Israel Activism (PYM)

On May 15 2021, Mercado participated in an anti-Israel protest opposing OGW. The protest was organized by PYM and took place at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto.

On May 15 2021, Mercado tweeted: “free Palestine til it’s f**king backwards.”

Mercado’s tweet featured photos of her posing with anti-Israel activists at the protest. Mercado held a sign that read: “CHOOSING NEUTRAL IS CHOOSING THE OPPRESSORS SIDE #FREEPALESTINE.” Another protester in the image held a sign that said: “THERE AREN’T TWO SIDES TO A GENOCIDE.”

Also on May 15 2021, Mercado tweeted photos taken at the protest and wrote: “#FREEPALESTINE.”

On the same day, Mercado tweeted: “...bald headed a** zionist f**ker was recording us bro go deal with your hair first.” She was referring to one of the participants in a pro-Israel counterprotest that took place at the PYM rally.

Mercado later tweeted about the counterprotesters: “the f**king audacity of these zionists to show up bro…”

On May 15, 2021, Mercado also tweeted about the rally: “I have video of me shouting at zionists

.”

Also on May 15, 2021, Mercado tweeted: “stupid a** zionists in the f**king middle bro

theres like 10 of u idiots.”

Mercado was referring to a tweet that featured a photo of a news broadcast showing pro-Israel counterprotesters and pro-Palestinian protesters separated by security guards.

PYM

In 2012, the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM USA) released a statement saying: “Our liberation...will be gained with the path that was written with the blood of our martyrs. We reaffirm that the only path that we are concerned with is the path that explicitly heads towards the liberation of our land and the return of our people to Palestine.”

PYM organized rallies demonizing Israel where it displays propaganda posters supporting the terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and compared Israel to Nazi Germany.

On October 25, 2015, PYM called to support “intifada” during a period when Palestinian radicals across Israel stabbed and hacked to death scores of Israeli civilians. PYM alleged that “Al-Aqsa Mosque has been the target of particularly brutal assaults” and that “... arbitrary killings are committed daily by the Zionist military and settlers.”

On November 10, 2015, the PYM Facebook page displayed a photo of masked Palestinian radicals throwing rocks and firing rocks from slingshots. That photo was used to promote at least 25 anti-Israel rallies across the globe on or around November 29, 2015 under the banner of “Transnational mobilization for Palestinian resistance.”

On November 30, 2015, PYM displayed a photo on Facebook from one of the rallies showing a sign in support of PFLP member Khalida Jarrar, who confessed to inciting violence and calling for terrorists to abduct Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers.

Another sign showed support for PFLP Secretary-General Ahmad Sadat, who was convicted for the 2001 assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi.

BDS

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.

One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”

Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”

In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”

The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.

BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.

The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.

Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.

BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.