The Sinister Hamasniks and the Indifferent Bystanders
I held my “Hamas is a terrorist organization” sign in front of a crowd on April 6th, at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Candada, and the crowd was furious. Roughly thirty minutes later, the sign was torn from my hands to loud cheers.
There are two kinds of people at these demonstrations that the media calls pro-Palestinian. Some praise Hamas as freedom fighters, celebrate October 7 as a glorious act of resistance, and call for the destruction of the Zionist entity. Others agree that Hamas is a terrorist organization and that the October 7 massacre was a heinous crime.
At first glance, these two positions seem irreconcilable. But why, then, did both groups hate my sign? How can both attend the same rallies, chant the same slogans, and march shoulder to shoulder in perfect harmony?
The paradox is that neither cares about Hamas. Hamas is just a footnote, a peripheral matter. Whether they praise or denounce the thousands of Gazan terrorists raping, torturing, murdering, and kidnapping Israelis, whether they justify or condemn Hamas’s use of civilians as human shields, both groups of protesters hold Israel fully accountable for all these deeds—whether the deeds are framed as heroic or evil. Their unanimous objective — their ultimate goal — is to vilify Israel.
The openly sinister regurgitate the buzzwords: “genocide, apartheid, colonization, occupation, blockade”. The so-called moderates engage in dialogue, but all they wish to discuss are Israel’s wrongdoings—real or made up. They remember the Ottoman and British Empire population statistics, recite Theodor Herzl and Ben Gurion, and name dozens of anti-Israel UN resolutions. They quote controversial statements from Israeli ministers, past and present. They pretend to compromise: in return for acknowledging Hamas’s atrocities, they insist that the Israeli government is equally reprehensible. They disapprove of Hamas’s hostage-taking, but in the same breath accuse Israel of imprisoning thousands of innocent children.
The covertly sinister falsely equate Hamas and Israel, and then march alongside openly pro-Hamas activists demanding the destruction of the Jewish state. Their deceptive cunning unity thrives and goes unchallenged. Together they chant for “free Palestine” without ever questioning what kind of state it would be—secular Marxist like the PFLP, Islamist Sunni like Hamas, or Shia like the Islamic regime. Together they call for Intifada until victory, parade swastikas, and burn Israeli flags.
The average Canadian, an outside observer of the pro-Hamas rallies, doesn’t distinguish between the openly sinister participants—those eager to destroy Israel and kill Jews with their own hands—and the covertly sinister, who wouldn’t get their hands dirty but will cheer from the sidelines. If Jews were to be assaulted in the streets, the indifferent observer would demand we keep our voices down so as not to disturb their precious quiet.
Even though after many months, the pro-Hamas protests, road blockades, and vandalism finally spark frustration from ordinary Canadians, we must not delude ourselves: this isn’t moral clarity; it is cognitive laziness. Any mention of a foreign conflict provokes a similar impartial discontent: “Take your quarrels back where you came from.” For far too long, Westerners—and especially Canadians—have been conditioned to tolerate everything and judge no one. They have lost the curiosity for learning and the ability to comprehend. What’s the point of knowing if you are not allowed to tell right from wrong?
During the annual Islamic Ashura procession last year, it wasn’t the procession itself or the notable presence of Palestinian flags that shocked me most. As a black-clad crowd marched, pounding their chests and chanting “Allahu Akbar” and other Arabic chants, I was taken aback by the striking indifference of the passersby—absence of dismay and lack of interest. Not a single person paused to take a closer look. No one even turned their head.
Accepting other cultures and traditions is a noble idea—but only if it’s grounded in knowledge and understanding of those cultures. Instead, many Canadians voluntarily confine themselves to a comfortable little bubble, stubbornly resisting any glimpse of reality that threatens to breach it. They tolerate the unfamiliar, troubling world as prescribed—but it must never intrude on their settled lives. This willful ignorance fosters barbaric practices and aggressive ideologies.
This mindset is misguided not because it is spineless, but because it’s perilous. Those burning Israeli flags don’t fancy the Canadian flag either. The terrorism supporters exploit the apathy of Canadian society to normalize extremism and expand the boundaries of what is tolerated in public discourse. Those targeting the Jews are coming for the West as a whole, and while Canada continues to ignore reality, the inevitable consequences of ignoring reality are just around the corner.
Masha Kleiner is a Vancouver-based activist, blogger, and grassroots organizer. Follow her Substacks, her X account, and her Instagram. This post originally appeared at The Canadian Zionist's Chronicles.
