Preferred region



How does this work?

Poster for a vigil planned for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Will this happen?

A vigil in Mississauga for slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was only planned after a flyer advertising a fake event circulated online.

Sources told INsauga.com that organizers of the ceremony scheduled for Nov. 26 at Celebration Square in front of City Hall decided to hold the event to capitalize on the attention earlier misinformation was receiving.

“Why not,” the source replied. “Everyone wanted to believe it was going to happen, so why not make it happen. Sometimes you get what you want.

In October, Sinwar was killed by the Israeli military in response to attacks in Israel last year for which he was accused. Many Palestinians consider Sinwar a martyr for fighting on behalf of his people, while others consider him a terrorist.

The original notice about the vigil began appearing on X (formerly Twitter) last week and was shared by those condemning the event, saying Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government. The messages also indicated that the flyer wrongly appropriated the use of the poppy, which is used exclusively by the Canadian Legion on Remembrance Day.

Although the flyer could not be linked to an original source, those who spread it asked Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish to prevent this from happening. And even though the vigil could not be confirmed, several media outlets picked up the story.

Initially, Parrish said the City of Mississauga was powerless to stop the event because of Charter rights guaranteeing freedom of speech and assembly. However, a few days later, she spoke to X to claim that the flyer was fake and that Muslim organizations were unaware of the vigil.

The Peel Muslim Council supported his view, saying news of the vigil was created to “sow division” in the community.

A check by INsauga.com with local Islamic groups also revealed that none had been informed in advance of the alleged initial vigil and had no plans to participate.

Then, on November 11, a video appeared online from an organization calling itself Canadian Defenders 4 Human Rights CD4HR, which claims the vigil will indeed take place.

In the video, a man holds up another flyer promoting the event and explains why Sinwar should be honored.

#CD4HR organized a vigil for the great hero #yahya_sinwar & Martyrs of the Axis of Resistance who sacrificed their honorable lives to support the Palestinians and their struggle for liberation. We also went to commemorate the Canadian peacekeepers who died negotiating peace in the… pic.twitter.com/nnFx0yJkrj

– Canadian Defenders 4 Human Rights CD4HR (@cd4_hr) November 11, 2024

A check of Canadian Defenders 4 Human Rights CD4HR’s X account shows no mention of the vigil before the original flyer and the controversy that followed.

“He (the man in the video) is doing a brilliant job of capitalizing on a volatile situation,” another source said. “This thing started with those who oppose Palestine and turned against it… now a vigil will be held where none was planned.” »

As the problem has grown, Parrish is now under attack because of something that may or may not happen.

Yesterday (November 13), the mayor’s comments during a discussion on the subject at the city council sparked an explosion of online attacks. Parrish pointed out that Nelson Mandela was originally considered a terrorist by some countries before he became president of South Africa.

As for the vigil, the question of whether or not it will turn into an organized event remains up in the air. Canadian Defenders 4 Human Rights CD4HR did not formally respond to interview requests and did not indicate whether it was actively recruiting participants.

“We’ll just have to wait and see who shows up on November 26,” the source said. “Given the attention this has received, Palestine supporters already consider this a success. Everyone is talking about it. There’s nothing better than this kind of advertising.

INsauga Editorial Standards and Policies