Mississauga faces questions about support for future protests 

After controversy over a vigil to celebrate a reviled terrorist leader, which was eventually cancelled by its organizer, the City of Mississauga has faced questions about how it will deal with potentially problematic demonstrations moving forward.

Mayor Carolyn Parrish faced backlash for refusing to take a stand against the vigil planned for November 26 to honour former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in October. She was widely criticized for remarks made during a council meeting when she compared Sinwar to Nelson Mandela, repeating the same line that the organizers of the event had used earlier that week. She claimed Charter rights prevented her from taking any action to prevent the vigil.

On its X account the organizers of the group, which calls itself Canadian Defenders For Human Rights, posted that they had decided to cancel the vigil, citing security and safety concerns.

“We just made a decision as a committee to just cancel it for now. It’s not due to fear of the Israeli’s, we just don’t want things to get out of hand, we don’t want anyone to get hurt,” event organizer Firas Al Najim told The Pointer in November shortly after he announced the decision. “There’s a lot of tensions and a lot of controversies happening so it's best to postpone it for now.”

While leaders of several Jewish advocacy groups that condemned the vigil told The Pointer they felt a sense of relief when the event was cancelled, frustrations were raised around Parrish’s handling of the situation, or lack thereof. In a letter sent to the City and Parrish and shared on X, B’nai Brith Canada highlighted specific policies laid out in the City of Mississauga’s Outdoor Events in the Civic District policy, approved by council in 2017, and expressed concerns the Mayor was ignoring Mississauga’s own regulations.  

According to its rules, City officials and staff have to assist “in the selection and approval of events for Mississauga Celebration Square, in accordance with this policy.” Protests, demonstrations, rallies and vigils are not considered formal events and though a permit is not needed, organizers are required to fill out a notification form to be submitted to the City’s corporate security team at least a week prior to the date of the event.

Under the City’s eligibility criteria for external events held in Celebration Square, gatherings are only permitted if: “Activities are not conducted or promoted that have the potential to incite violence and/or hatred”, and the “event does not endorse views and ideas which are likely to promote discrimination, contempt or hatred for any person.” Organizers are also required to ensure “the event does not conflict with the City’s core values or vision or does not adversely impact on the City’s identity.”

B’nai Brith and other organizations want firm commitments that in the future the City will not allow such events, promoting the actions of a known terrorist who directed the killings of innocent men, women, children and babies (the Canadian government officially lists Hamas as a terrorist organization). They fear that by allowing a vigil for someone like the former Hamas leader, Mississauga is not only violating its own rules around the use of municipal spaces, it goes against fundamental Canadian values.

“We posted very poignant questions regarding Mississauga’s policy regarding the use of outdoor public space,” Richard Robertson, B'nai Brith Canada’s director of research and advocacy, told The Pointer after addressing Parrish and the City, criticizing their failure to enforce their own rules and reflect community principles that renounce the celebration of hate. “There was a concerning lack of leadership on the part of Mississauga’s civic leaders in ensuring that such a vigil would not take place and we’re saddened they did not take the initiative to put the best interests of the safety, security and well being of all the municipality’s citizens first.”

Mayor Carolyn Parrish has faced widespread criticism for not taking action against a vigil planned right next to City Hall in November to celebrate former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The event was cancelled by organizers after backlash.

(Alexis Wright/The Pointer files) 

Parrish took to X to respond to the organization's concerns, stating in a letter addressed to B’nai Brith, “the City of Mississauga is committee to upholding the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantee the right to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly. Protests, demonstrations, and vigils are an exercise of those freedoms.”

She added, “the City of Mississauga will not interfere with a protest as long as it remains peaceful, and all laws and City by-laws are adhered to.” Despite her claims, critics have pointed out that the Charter does not protect assembly and expression that could likely promote hate. Numerous events across the country have been cancelled because underlying protections against hate override those that allow peaceful assembly and expression only if it does not infringe on other people’s Charter rights.

In an email to The Pointer, the City did not commit to applying its own policies in the future under the event bylaw which B’Nai Brith laid out. It remains unclear why the City is not upholding its own policies. No explanation was provided. The City spokesperson instead referred to the response posted by the Mayor to social media on November 15, claiming Charter rights prevented the City from stopping the vigil, which is a clear contradiction of Mississauga’s own rules.

In response to the lack of initiative by the City to prevent the event from happening, advocacy groups have since called on municipal officials to enforce stronger policies to prevent future events that “glorify terrorism or promote hate” from taking place on City property.

Michelle Stock, the Ontario Vice President of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, told The Pointer that while the organization was “relieved” the vigil had been cancelled, “it is utterly unacceptable and appalling that an event honouring Hamas terrorist leaders — including Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 massacre — was ever planned on City property.”

“We remain steadfast in our advocacy to ensure that City property is never used to glorify terrorism or promote hate. The City must guarantee that such events are never permitted on public property, and the Mayor must immediately and sincerely apologize for her offensive and divisive remarks.”

After The Pointer covered the planned vigil and its eventual cancellation, the group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, pushed back against the reporting, describing it as one-sided and referring to the description of Hamas being a terrorist group as “heavily editorialized”. The group also disputed The Pointer’s reporting which stated more than a thousand people were killed in the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas. According to a report released one year later by the U.S. State Department, more than 1,200 people were killed by Hamas in the attacks.  

Prior to the eventual cancellation of the Mississauga vigil that had been planned for November, a City spokesperson told The Pointer “Security Services is not taking any action to stop or move the protest from Celebration Square, and the City is not taking any legal action as there is no violation of any laws or City by-laws at this time.”

Should the vigil be rescheduled, which the organizer said is the plan, it remains unclear whether the City will apply stronger enforcement measures to ensure rules are followed, or if Parrish will change her response. Al Najim said the organization is still hoping to put on an event to commemorate Sinwar in the future, although no date has been established.  

“Right now, we’re just studying the situation. We haven’t set a date yet and we haven’t said we would not do it so it’s kind of in between,” he told The Pointer. “We do have an intention to do this for Yahya Sinwar and the leaders of the resistance,” which he said includes Abbas Nilforoushan, Hassan Nasrallah and former Hamas leader and predecessor to Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh.

Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @mcpaigepeacock 

At a time when vital public information is needed by everyone, The Pointer has taken down our paywall on all stories to ensure every resident of Brampton, Mississauga and Niagara has access to the facts. For those who are able, we encourage you to consider a subscription. This will help us report on important public interest issues the community needs to know about now more than ever. You can register for a 30-day free trial HERE. Thereafter, The Pointer will charge $10 a month and you can cancel any time right on the website. Thank you