Hands Off Charlotte Kates!
VPD, Drop the Charges Against Charlotte Kates!
Statement by Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO)
Charlotte Kates, the International Coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network was arrested on April 26, 2024 in Vancouver by Vancouver Police Department (VPD) for a speech she gave on April 26 expressing support for the Palestinian resistance. VPD’s phony charges target and frame up Charlotte Kates, with full knowledge that since last October she has been a leading organizer of peaceful Palestinian solidarity mass actions in Metro Vancouver. According to a Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network statement, “VPD officers nabbed Kates while she was on the bus riding home after attending the establishment of the Palestine solidarity encampment at the University of British Columbia, and charged her with “public incitement of hatred” and “willful promotion of hatred”. After two hours of questioning she was released with the condition “not to attend any protests, demonstrations and assemblies”.”
This is a blatant violation of freedom of expression and speech, by the VPD, in the hopes of slowing down the organizing against Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and Palestine. It is very clear that they chose to target Charlotte Kates, as she was playing a central role in organizing peaceful rallies and other actions for Palestine in the last 8 months, since October 2023.
Framing up Charlotte Kates is the exercise of a FBI COINTELPRO style operation against a person that has established and led peaceful rallies and activities in Metro Vancouver and beyond. This dangerous precedent is part of the ruling class’s attack on working and oppressed people’s right to understand, to organize, and to fight back against Zionist Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. We must defend Charlotte Kates as this attack on her right to organize is an attack on all of our rights to organize. An attack on one is an attack on all working and oppressed people!
We unequivocally condemn this attack on Charlotte Kates and our democratic and human rights. We demand the VPD immediately drop the charges against Charlotte Kates!
Stand with Palestine!
Hands Off Charlotte Kates!
End the Genocide in Gaza!
For more on Charlotte’s case: samidoun.net
