Liberal MP Ya’ara Saks, who is Jewish, was forced to leave her own campaign BBQ in the York Centre riding in Toronto, after being harassed by anti-Israel agitators. Hamas-supporting activists demanded the mental health and addictions minister Saks sign an arms embargo petition against Israel. Video footage shows Saks surrounded by security guards, literally holding onto one another’s arms to form a circle around the MP. .This comes as Saks was booed by the Jewish community at the Pride of Israel synagogue. The activist group York Centre 4 Palestine posted Sunday’s incident to social media, and bragged in the caption “shut down” Saks’ campaign picnic.“Unfortunately, Saks cares more about upholding Israeli and Canadian legacies of white supremacy, violence, and manipulation as our tax money goes to funding her business trips to the genocidal state of Israel, rather than funding social and public services,” wrote the group. “Today, we finally had the chance to confront Ya’ara and ask her to sign the two-way arms embargo letter. Of course she refused. Despite the International Criminal Court’s ruling of Israel as an apartheid state, Canada has authorized over $28.5 million in military exports to Israel since October and has plans to add $95 million more by 2025.”The group threatened to “continue showing up, organizing with our community, and demanding answers until Canada stops arming Israel.”“No picnics during genocide!! Full arms embargo and sanctions on Israel now!!” wrote the Hamas supporters. .Saks in the video refused to sign the call for embargo, as a general principle as an MP. “Government members — as a minister, we don’t sign petitions,” Saks said.“I will say the humanitarian crisis is tragic, but we do not sign petitions as ministers.”Several MPs in fact have signed the petition, the activists in the video point out. Several are NDPs. “Blood on your hands! Blood on your hands!” Hamas activists shouted at the Jewish MP as she fled the event. “Israel bombs, Ya’ara Saks pays, how many kids have you killed today?”Saks later addressed the incident in a statement on social media. “Hurling antisemitic slurs and intimidating our York Centre community will not help Israelis and Palestinians, who desperately need a ceasefire,” she wrote.
