Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein Spoke at the Pro-Hamas Encampment at the University of Toronto (UofT)
Naomi Klein spoke at the pro-Hamas encampment at UofT in May 2024. Klein has also spread anti-Semitism, shown support for Hamas terrorism and expressed hatred of Israel.
On May 11, 2024, University of British Columbia (UBC) associate professor and UofT alumna Naomi Klein spoke at the UofT encampment. She posted on Instagram a video of her speech at the encampment and wrote: “It was an honour to stand in solidarity with the amazing student organizers of @occupyuoft…These students have built an inspiring encampment that is a beacon for justice.”
In her speech, Klein said [00:00:07]: “...the only thing that I can imagine that is more horrific than this genocide, this live-streamed genocide, would be a world in which that became normal.”
Klein further said [00:01:31]: “Israel’s strategy has been to systematically target journalists, scholars, writers; anybody with a camera.”
In May 2024, it was reported that at least one-third of the journalists killed in Gaza were affiliated with terror groups. In June 2024, the Israeli army rescued three Israeli civilians from the home of a Palestinian journalist, where they had been held hostage for months.
UofT is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Protesters harassed Jewish students, blocked Jews from campus facilities and shouted anti-Semitic slogans. They occupied campus grounds, in many cases illegally, caused property damage, violently took over buildings, celebrated terrorism and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Activists set up encampments to oppose Israel’s right to wage war against the Hamas terror group following October 7, 2023, when Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 people, including 32 American and 8 Canadian citizens. Hamas also kidnapped 252 people, including 11 Americans and the bodies of 2 murdered Canadians. As of May 26, 2024, 125 hostages remained in Hamas captivity.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 other countries have adopted the definition as well.
On January 27, 2024, Klein shared [slide 44] on her Instagram Stories Highlights titled: “
,” an Instagram post from anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), titled: “This Holocaust Remembrance Day, ‘never again’ is now.”
The phrase “Never Again” is often deployed as a general declaration against genocide, invoking the Nazis’ war of extermination against the Jews.
Pro-Hamas Encampment at the University of Toronto
On May 2, 2024, activists from the UofT Occupy for Palestine (Occupy UofT) group “stormed down” [00:00:24] the fencing around UofT’s Kings College Circle and set up a pro-Hamas encampment, which they called the “People’s Circle for Palestine.”That day, Occupy UofT called on “community members to…help us defend our encampment” at an emergency rally in the evening. Protesters chanted [00:02:59] for “intifada” and celebrated “resistance” [00:02:45]. Both terms are calls for terrorism. The activists also chanted [00:01:28; 00:02:21] for Israel’s destruction multiple times.
One speaker, Nabil Jalbout, said [00:09:02]: “...we are not fighting for peace, we are fighting for liberation, because ‘peace’ is a white man's word.” Another speaker, Ahmad Jarrar Hajahmad, claimed [00:05:52]: “All these Israeli and Zionist entities fill all these politicians with money in their pockets…we already know who runs this system…”
Signs displayed at the encampment said: “LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA” and “LIBERATION FOR ALL REQUIRES RESISTANCE FROM ALL.”
On May 4, 2024, anti-Israel protesters at the encampment assaulted a Jewish man, punching him in the stomach as they forcibly took his Israeli flag. The attackers told the man [00:01:02]: “God bless the armed resistance,” and: “Go back to Europe!” They also reportedly called him “a “dirty Jew.”
Protesters “occupied” [00:00:17] the area from May to July 2024, despite UofT’s warning they were trespassing. The group said they would not leave until UofT divested from companies that “sustain Israeli apartheid, occupation and illegal settlement of Palestine” and terminated partnerships with Israeli academic institutions.
Following the October 7, 2023 massacre of nearly 1,200 Israelis, the inverted red triangle -
- became a Hamas symbol. This symbol appeared on large signs at the encampment multiple times. Erin Mackey, one of the primary organizers, is openly pro-Hamas, having used the symbol in her activism. In addition, pro-Hamas marches that began in other parts of the city concluded at the encampment.
One speaker, Nabil Jalbout, said [00:09:02]: “...we are not fighting for peace, we are fighting for liberation, because ‘peace’ is a white man's word.” Another speaker, Ahmad Jarrar Hajahmad, claimed [00:05:52]: “All these Israeli and Zionist entities fill all these politicians with money in their pockets…we already know who runs this system…”
Signs displayed at the encampment said: “LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA” and “LIBERATION FOR ALL REQUIRES RESISTANCE FROM ALL.”
On May 4, 2024, anti-Israel protesters at the encampment assaulted a Jewish man, punching him in the stomach as they forcibly took his Israeli flag. The attackers told the man [00:01:02]: “God bless the armed resistance,” and: “Go back to Europe!” They also reportedly called him “a “dirty Jew.”
Protesters “occupied” [00:00:17] the area from May to July 2024, despite UofT’s warning they were trespassing. The group said they would not leave until UofT divested from companies that “sustain Israeli apartheid, occupation and illegal settlement of Palestine” and terminated partnerships with Israeli academic institutions.
Following the October 7, 2023 massacre of nearly 1,200 Israelis, the inverted red triangle -
- became a Hamas symbol. This symbol appeared on large signs at the encampment multiple times. Erin Mackey, one of the primary organizers, is openly pro-Hamas, having used the symbol in her activism. In addition, pro-Hamas marches that began in other parts of the city concluded at the encampment.On July 3, 2024, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued an injunction at the request of UofT’s Governing Council, requiring students to clear the encampment. Occupy UofT dismantled the encampment and wrote [slides 5-6]: “We are just getting started…come fall, every incoming student will hear our message loud and clear…Whatever institution you have access to and influence over - you need to take this campaign there!” The statement concluded: “Long live the intifada.”
Background on Pro-Hamas Encampments
The encampment was one of over 140 pro-Hamas and anti-Israel college encampments set up in North America, and over 20 more globally, in the spring of 2024. The first began on April 17, 2024, at Columbia University. The encampments were unofficially known as the “student intifada,” borrowing a term associated with terrorist violence.Protesters harassed Jewish students, blocked Jews from campus facilities and shouted anti-Semitic slogans. They occupied campus grounds, in many cases illegally, caused property damage, violently took over buildings, celebrated terrorism and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Activists set up encampments to oppose Israel’s right to wage war against the Hamas terror group following October 7, 2023, when Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 people, including 32 American and 8 Canadian citizens. Hamas also kidnapped 252 people, including 11 Americans and the bodies of 2 murdered Canadians. As of May 26, 2024, 125 hostages remained in Hamas captivity.
For more information on the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
Naomi Klein’s Anti-Semitism
On March 2, 2024, Klein was quoted as saying: “...Israel modelled itself on racist colonial laws, logics and practices borrowed from earlier eras of colonialism…”The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 other countries have adopted the definition as well.
On January 27, 2024, Klein shared [slide 44] on her Instagram Stories Highlights titled: “
,” an Instagram post from anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), titled: “This Holocaust Remembrance Day, ‘never again’ is now.”The phrase “Never Again” is often deployed as a general declaration against genocide, invoking the Nazis’ war of extermination against the Jews.
The JVP post Klein shared read: “Today as we recognize International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we are confronted with a devastating truth: What we vowed never to allow to happen again is happening, right now.”
The post also said: “Today, Israel and the U.S. will share solemn words about the Holocaust. They will tell us that we must never again allow this kind of evil to occur — even as both countries stand trial, respectively, for carrying out and complicity in the genocide of Palestinians…”
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 countries have adopted the definition as well.
Naomi Klein’s Support for Hamas Terrorism
On October 10, 2023, three days after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, Klein shared [slide 1] on her Instagram Stories Highlights titled: “,” a link to a post featuring a graphic with text that said [slide 3]: “We believe that the violent and unacceptable actions taken by Hamas cannot be seen outside of a historical context of chronic, colonial oppression from the Israeli state…”On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped hundreds and wounded thousands. War crimes included mass rape and torture. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.” For more information, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
The text continued [slide 3], referring to the naval blockade of Gaza: “‘...International indifference to 16 years of suffocating closure of the Gaza Strip and decades of Israeli impunity for war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians is the necessary context for Palestinian armed resistance.’”
Among anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” is a euphemism for terrorism and is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.
Israel and Egypt implemented a United Nations-approved [pp. 39–41] joint blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2011 to stop Hamas from acquiring more sophisticated rockets.
On October 11, 2023, Klein published an article, in which she described Hamas terrorists’ breaching of Israel’s border fence on October 7 as “Palestinians escaping the open air prison that is Gaza.” She also wrote that “occupied people have every right [to do that].”
Referring to Gaza as an "open-air prison" is a way to delegitimize the United Nations-approved [pp. 39–41] joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip imposed in 2011 to prevent Hamas from acquiring more sophisticated rockets.
Also on October 11, 2023, Klein promoted her article on Instagram. She similarly wrote that the Hamas terror invasion of Israel was a “jailbreak from Gaza,” adding that it was “something Palestinians under a brutal and illegal siege [the joint preventive blockade] absolutely have every right to do.”
Klein continued [00:04:34]: “It is a false idol that takes our most profound biblical stories of justice and emancipation from slavery – the story of Passover itself – and turns them into brutalist weapons of colonial land theft, roadmaps for ethnic cleansing and genocide.”
Later, Klein said [00:06:31]: “Zionism has brought us to our present moment of cataclysm and it is time that we say clearly: It has always been leading us here.”
On June 10, 2024, Klein was featured [slide 1] in a photo on Instagram. Text over the photo said she was “...here to remind you that Israel is settler colonialism and Palestinian liberation is a climate justice issue…”
As of April 2024, Klein was a member [00:16:34] of JVP.
As of August 2024, Klein was listed on the UBC website as an “Associate Professor | UBC Professor of Climate Justice.”
As of the same date, Klein was also listed as the director of public engagement at UBC’s Centre for Climate Justice, as well as its co-director.
UBC is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Also as of August 2024, Klein’s personal website said she was a “Journalist | Author | Filmmaker | Activist.”
In May 2024, Klein was listed as an alumna of UofT.
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/naomikleinofficial/
X:https://x.com/NaomiAKlein
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/naomiaklein/
Threads:https://www.threads.net/@naomiaklein
Referring to Gaza as an "open-air prison" is a way to delegitimize the United Nations-approved [pp. 39–41] joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip imposed in 2011 to prevent Hamas from acquiring more sophisticated rockets.
Also on October 11, 2023, Klein promoted her article on Instagram. She similarly wrote that the Hamas terror invasion of Israel was a “jailbreak from Gaza,” adding that it was “something Palestinians under a brutal and illegal siege [the joint preventive blockade] absolutely have every right to do.”
Naomi Klein’s Hatred of Israel
On April 23, 2024, Klein spoke at a pro-BDS protest in Brooklyn, New York. She said [00:04:16]: “...too many of our people are worshiping a false idol once again. They are enraptured by it. They are drunk on it. They are profaned by it. And that false idol is called Zionism.”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.
Klein continued [00:04:34]: “It is a false idol that takes our most profound biblical stories of justice and emancipation from slavery – the story of Passover itself – and turns them into brutalist weapons of colonial land theft, roadmaps for ethnic cleansing and genocide.”
Later, Klein said [00:06:31]: “Zionism has brought us to our present moment of cataclysm and it is time that we say clearly: It has always been leading us here.”
On June 10, 2024, Klein was featured [slide 1] in a photo on Instagram. Text over the photo said she was “...here to remind you that Israel is settler colonialism and Palestinian liberation is a climate justice issue…”
Naomi Klein’s Anti-Israel Activism, Work and Education
Naomi Klein is a supporter [row 1, fourth photo] of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.As of April 2024, Klein was a member [00:16:34] of JVP.
As of August 2024, Klein was listed on the UBC website as an “Associate Professor | UBC Professor of Climate Justice.”
As of the same date, Klein was also listed as the director of public engagement at UBC’s Centre for Climate Justice, as well as its co-director.
UBC is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Also as of August 2024, Klein’s personal website said she was a “Journalist | Author | Filmmaker | Activist.”
In May 2024, Klein was listed as an alumna of UofT.
Social Media and Weblinks
University Website:https://geog.ubc.ca/profile/naomi-klein/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/naomikleinofficial/
X:https://x.com/NaomiAKlein
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/naomiaklein/
Threads:https://www.threads.net/@naomiaklein
Videos
2 videos
Photos & Screenshots
23 images
Infamous Quotes
“...[Hamas’s October 7, 2023] jailbreak from Gaza [is] something Palestinians under a brutal and illegal siege [the joint preventive blockade] absolutely have every right to do.”
“...too many of our people are worshiping a false idol once again. They are enraptured by it. They are drunk on it. They are profaned by it. That false idol is called Zionism.”
