Washington, DC – Oct. 15, 2024 – The Coalition for a Safer Web (CSW) commends the Biden-Harris Administration’s and Canada’s designation of Samidoun (a/k/a the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network), a violent group responsible for inciting campus unrest and attacks on Jewish students and organizations, as a “sham charity” and a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization.
Today’s action by the US Department of the Treasury’s and their Canadian counterparts against Samidoun follows an extensive campaign by CSW to convince the Administration and Canada that Samidoun is liable for inciting antisemitic violence and terrorism based on irrefutable evidence gathered by CSW over a year of forensic investigation, including research into its global social media footprint.
Our research, which commenced after the Oct 7 Hamas terror attack, uncovered data that Samidoun is not only an affiliate of the PFLP, but directly funded by Iran through its Canadian tax-exempt base of operations in Vancouver and its key PFLP affiliated agent, Khaled Barakat. In fact, Samidoun director Charlotte Kates and other anti-Jewish activists hosted webinars and teach-ins with Barakat in which the terrorist leader praised airline hijackings and other violence as an appropriate means of “resistance” against Israel and its allies. Kates, a Canadian national, is married to Barakat.
Based on our investigation, CSW repeatedly called upon the Biden-Harris Administration to block the assets of Samidoun under authority granted by Executive Order 13224 and for Congress to investigate its ties to international terror groups.
In a July 8 letter to President Biden, CSW documented Samidoun’s close affiliation with the PFLP, a U.S.-designated international terrorist organization and its role inciting antisemitic violence on campuses, in New York City, and throughout the US.
The letter detailed how Samidoun’s tax-exempt funding was camouflaged by a U.S. sham “fiscal sponsor,” as well as its planning, promotion, and participation in violent acts, including violence against the NYPD. Despite the US sanctions, the Alliance for Global Justice, a Tucson, Arizona tax-exempt organization appears to still be accepting donations by check for Samidoun.[1]
Fmr. Amb. Marc Ginsberg, President, and Founder of CSW stated:
“Today’s action by the Biden-Harris Administration and our Canadian allies confirms what CSW has long-documented: Samidoun is a front group for international terrorists that promotes violence toward and hatred of American Jews and the destruction of Israel,” said Ambassador Marc Ginsberg. “It’s now time for public and private colleges to immediate ban all Samidoun-related activities on their grounds and over their online networks.”
Samidoun has an extensive network of supporters on U.S. campuses, including faculty and paid crisis instigators. Dismantling its network and demanding universities eject its agents and supporters will require concerted action by local authorities and campus administrators to act immediately.
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[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20241003093626/https://afgj.salsalabs.org/samidounnetwork/index.html
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