Natalie Knight
Overview
Natalie Knight praised the Hamas terror group as a speaker at an October 2023 rally and expressed support for terrorism at another anti-Israel rally, in January 2024.
Following her October 2023 speech, she was suspended from her teaching position at Langara College (Langara) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Langara initially reinstated her in January 2024 but then fired her after she participated in an anti-Israel protest while holding a sign calling for “intifada,” a term showing support for terrorism.
The rallies Knight participated in occurred following a series of Hamas terror attacks and war crimes against Israeli civilians, including mass murder, torture, rape, beheadings and kidnappings, which were executed on October 7, 2023.
The Hamas terror attacks left over 1,200 Israelis dead, hundreds kidnapped and thousands wounded. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.”
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, European Union, Israel and other countries. Founded in 1987, it has killed thousands of Israeli civilians through mass shootings and suicide bombings. Hamas has also kidnapped children, families and the elderly and held them hostage in Gaza. It has desecrated [slide 2] dead bodies and launched numerous rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.
Praising Hamas and Expressing Support for Terrorism
On October 28, 2023, Knight praised Hamas at a march and rally held in Vancouver while speaking as a member [00:00:01] of the group United In Struggle.During the rally, Knight said [00:04:01]: “Two years ago in September of 2021, six political prisoners dug their escape out of a maximum security prison using only spoons. Amazing!”
On September 6, 2021, six Palestinian prisoners escaped from the maximum-security Gilboa Prison in Israel. The escaped prisoners were convicted members of the terror organizations Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, who were jailed for their involvement in attacks carried out during the second intifada. All were recaptured by September 19, 2021, by Israeli authorities.
Knight continued [00:04:21]: “This was a feat of determination and ingenuity only eclipsed, only eclipsed by the amazing, brilliant offensive waged [by Hamas] on October 7th. United In Struggle upholds the unqualified right to resist and fight back against imperialist aggression, colonialism and genocidal campaigns of the Israeli state.”
Knight also said [00:06:31]: “Hundreds of thousands of people around the world express outrage in the streets because we are moved by the fierce bravery and vision for liberation and the right to return.”
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Following her speech, Knight was condemned by Jewish groups, including the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, which called for Knight to be fired. Knight was also reportedly condemned by the former president of the Jewish Student Association at Langara and the leader of the political party BC United.
On October 30, 2023, Simon Fraser University (SFU) tweeted a statement referring to Knight, a former SFU graduate student, that said: “...SFU does not agree with nor support these comments in any way…Beyond being a graduate of SFU, this person has no current affiliation with the university.”
On October 31, 2023, Langara published a statement about Knight that said: “...We are aware that a Langara employee shared their personal views during a public event in Vancouver, which has been shared on social media and addressed through news reports. These views do not represent those of the College and while the matter is under investigation, the employee is currently on leave…”
On November 2, 2023, United In Struggle posted a statement on Instagram that criticized “Zionist organizations” such as the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and CIJA for “painting Palestinian resistance as terrorism, and attacking freedom of political expression.”
The statement said: “For the past 18 months, enthusiastic support has been publicly expressed for Ukraine’s resistance to Russian invasion, but when Palestinians resist these acts are unspeakable.” It concluded: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state.
On November 7, 2023, United In Struggle posted a statement on Instagram that said: “United In Struggle defends the Palestinian right to resist by any means necessary” and called for Langara to “immediately reinstate” Knight.
On November 8, 2023, Langara’s student newspaper, The Voice, reported that the Vancouver Police Department’s (VPD) media relations officer said VPD would “review the comments, follow the Criminal Code of Canada and, if appropriate, consult Crown counsel.”
On January 23, 2024, Knight participated in an anti-Israel protest, where she held a sign that said: “There is only one solution, intifada revolution.”
The term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” carries the connotation of violence. Palestinian intifadas waged against Israel have been marked since 1987 by hundreds of hijackings, shootings, stabbings, bombings and suicide missions.
The term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” carries the connotation of violence. Palestinian intifadas waged against Israel have been marked since 1987 by hundreds of hijackings, shootings, stabbings, bombings and suicide missions.
Protesters at the rally called [00:00:12] for “intifada” and marched with a banner that said [00:00:30]: “Resistance / Return / Liberation.”
Among Palestinians and anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” can be a euphemism for nationalistic terror. It is often used to excuse or even glorify anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.
At the protest, Knight announced [00:00:21] that she had been “reinstated as an instructor effective immediately with no disciplinary actions.”
Knight also reportedly said that “you can have the right to speak out, and you can face repression, and still win.” She added: “They made it seem like I did something wrong…That’s why we wanted to come in and kind of announce that as a victory.”
Knight also told The Voice [00:02:07]: “Some people become very inspired and conscious about the resistance in Palestine. Other people might be pushed in the opposite direction, towards a side that I would consider to be reactionary.”
On January 26, 2024, Langara said in a statement that after an initial investigation, it determined that Knight’s “comments were not clearly outside the bounds of protected expression.” The statement said she could “return to work with the expectation they would comply with the College’s policies and initiatives which support a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning and working environment” and “take care to ensure any future remarks could not reasonably be interpreted as celebrating violence against civilians.”
However, referring to concern “about the events which unfolded at a rally on Langara campus this week,” the statement further said: “The employee proceeded to engage in activities contrary to the expectations laid out by the College and as a result this employee is no longer an employee of Langara College.”
Among Palestinians and anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” can be a euphemism for nationalistic terror. It is often used to excuse or even glorify anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.
At the protest, Knight announced [00:00:21] that she had been “reinstated as an instructor effective immediately with no disciplinary actions.”
Knight also reportedly said that “you can have the right to speak out, and you can face repression, and still win.” She added: “They made it seem like I did something wrong…That’s why we wanted to come in and kind of announce that as a victory.”
Knight also told The Voice [00:02:07]: “Some people become very inspired and conscious about the resistance in Palestine. Other people might be pushed in the opposite direction, towards a side that I would consider to be reactionary.”
On January 26, 2024, Langara said in a statement that after an initial investigation, it determined that Knight’s “comments were not clearly outside the bounds of protected expression.” The statement said she could “return to work with the expectation they would comply with the College’s policies and initiatives which support a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning and working environment” and “take care to ensure any future remarks could not reasonably be interpreted as celebrating violence against civilians.”
However, referring to concern “about the events which unfolded at a rally on Langara campus this week,” the statement further said: “The employee proceeded to engage in activities contrary to the expectations laid out by the College and as a result this employee is no longer an employee of Langara College.”
Hamas Terrorist Atrocities of October 7, 2023
On Saturday, October 7, 2023, approximately 2,900 heavily armed Hamas terrorists breached Israel’s border with Gaza. They executed numerous war crimes on civilians, including mass murder, beheadings of children, rape of men and women, torture, kidnappings and mutilation. Hamas broadcast videos of their butchery on social media, often to victims’ accounts for families to see. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.”
As of November 10, 2023, over 1,200 Israelis, the vast majority of them civilians, were murdered during the attacks. Hamas kidnapped 242 Israelis, including at least 30 children. At least 3,500 people were wounded, many severely.
As of December 25, 2023, Hamas had fired over 10,600 missiles from Gaza at Israeli communities, with Hamas claiming 5,000 the day it launched the attack. While Hamas was the main group involved, members of other terror groups also joined in the atrocities.
Many Palestinian civilians, including women and children, also participated in the attack. In several instances, Gazans who worked in the targeted Israeli communities gave intelligence to Hamas on where to strike.
In a December 2023 poll, 57% of Gazans and 82% of Palestinians in the West Bank supported the terror attacks. 42% of Gazans were supportive of Hamas rule, up from 38% before the attacks, and 44% in the West Bank supported Hamas, up from 12%.
Hamas began by launching thousands of rockets at Israel and using motorized paragliders “to infiltrate Israeli territory and secure terrain.” Terrorist ground forces destroyed parts of the border fence with Gaza, murdering and kidnapping soldiers.
Terrorists then turned their attention to 22 communities around Gaza, where they went house to house to savagely murder, mutilate and kidnap anyone they found. They executed children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children.
Terrorists beheaded children and babies, and massacred entire families, burning some alive who hid in their homes. Hamas terrorists kicked around the heads of beheaded victims like soccer balls. Israelis between the ages of three and 85 were kidnapped and taken forcibly to Gaza. Hamas has not allowed the Red Cross access to the hostages.
Over 360 unarmed young men and women were surrounded and slaughtered at one music festival alone. Bodies were publicly desecrated, with some dragged through the streets of Gaza, then beheaded.
Women were raped next to the bodies of dead friends. Some were raped and then shot in the head. Others, including young girls, were raped and murdered or mutilated in other ways. Israeli officials opened an unprecedented investigation into the widespread sexual assault. Forensic analysis of corpses showed evidence of torture and rape.
Hamas terrorists said they were given explicit orders to carry out the atrocities, including chopping off legs and raping the corpses of murdered victims.
Hamas intentionally targeted youth centers and elementary schools to execute and kidnap children. They also took stimulant drugs to give added energy to murder and maim. Nazis also took drugs during World War II to fuel their anti-Semitic massacres.
The atrocities were acknowledged as the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, including by U.S. President Joe Biden, who also compared Hamas to ISIS. Hamas attacked on the annual holiday of Simchat Torah, which that year was on Shabbat, the weekly Jewish Sabbath.
The Hamas atrocities against Israeli civilians are crimes against humanity according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The mass murder generated great sympathy for Israel from many countries but led to countless celebrations among Palestinians and anti-Israel organizations in America that back the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Hamas called the October 7, 2023 terror attacks “Al-Aqsa Flood,” a reference to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the mosque has been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before Israel was founded in 1948. Such propaganda has led to multiple periods of violence against Israeli civilians.
Biographical Information
As of October 2023, Knight was a member of the group United In Struggle. Knight described [00:03:43] the group as “a revolutionary mass organization in East Vancouver” that unites “workers, indigenous people and all oppressed people to fight back against the ruling elites.”As of the same date, Knight had been an “Indigenous Curriculum Consultant” in the Teaching and Curriculum Development Centre at Langara, since June 2019.
Until October 2023, Knight was listed as an English instructor at Langara. On October 31, 2023, Langara announced that Knight was placed on leave while the college investigated her conduct.
On January 26, 2024, Langara announced that Knight was fired by the college.
Knight graduated from Simon Fraser University (SFU) with a PhD in English in 2019.
Social Media and Weblinks
Twitter:https://twitter.com/urbanNDNs [Deleted]Personal Website/Blog:https://langara.ca/departments/english/faculty/bios.html [Deleted]
- Status:
- Professor
- University:
- Simon-Fraser,
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- Organizations:
- United In Struggle
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- Last Modified:
- 05/04/2026
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Infamous Quotes
“Two years ago in September of 2021, six political prisoners dug their escape out of a maximum security prison using only spoons. Amazing! This was a feat of determination and ingenuity only eclipsed by the amazing, brilliant offensive waged on October 7th.”
“United In Struggle upholds the unqualified right to resist and fight back against imperialist aggression, colonialism and genocidal campaigns of the Israeli state.”
“Hundreds of thousands of people around the world express outrage in the streets because we are moved by the fierce bravery and vision for liberation and the right to return.”