Hundreds of supporters demonstrated in support of Samar Elkahlout Tuesday morning outside the Montreal courthouse. The Palestinian mother is accused of criminal harassment by the federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marc Miller.
Inside the courthouse, more than a hundred M supportersme Elkahlout were also present. All those who were turned away from the small courtroom where she appeared for the summary conviction hearing peacefully demonstrated their support on the third floor. No incidents were observed or reported.
Samar Elkahlout, who immigrated to Quebec in 2019 with two of her children, had been lobbying the Trudeau government since last October to repatriate her 13-year-old daughter Jana, who suffered from cerebral palsy. The government finally approved the family reunification… two weeks after her death last January.
The Palestinian girl died of malnutrition. Her grandparents, who were caring for her but who were fleeing the Israeli army’s all-out bombardment in northern Gaza, were unable to provide her with the medicine and specialized food she needed, the Elkahlout family told the media.
Last April, Samar Elkahlout organized sit in outside the offices of the federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship for the Canadian government to improve its plan to welcome and reunify Canadian-Palestinian families who still have loved ones stuck in Gaza.