MONTREAL – Canadian activist Laith Marouf, who in 2022 was embroiled in controversy after receiving federal funding for an “anti-racism” program while making antisemitic comments, has once again sparked outrage with online statements interpreted as calls for attacks on Jewish and pro-Israel institutions worldwide.
In recent posts shared on the social media platform X under the name Free Palestine TV, Marouf wrote that “Zionist targets around the world, including Zionist journalists, corporations, etc., will become regular targets.” The message followed another post asserting that “terror attacks in Europe and the U.S.” would draw Western governments “back to Zionism,” implying that such violence was both expected and justified.
The hateful comments explicitly threatened “Zionist institutions in the West,” which Marouf distinguished from “the general public.” The language, suggesting that Jewish and pro-Israel organizations and media professionals should “become regular targets,” amounts to an open call for terrorism under Canadian law and international counterterror standards.
A second post from the same account used conspiratorial language, claiming “the Zionist Empire ruled from DC/Tel Aviv” and describing atrocities such as “genocide” and “ecocide” as legitimate responses to supposed Israeli crimes. Marouf argued that “military defeat” of Western governments or direct “extension of these crimes to imperial citizens” were the only means of “reverting international law.” The post concluded that violence “should be expected any day soon.”
Security analysts have described these statements as incitement to violence, warning that such rhetoric targets not only Jews but also journalists and institutions accused of “Zionist affiliation.” Legal experts point out that the language easily meets the threshold for hate propaganda under Canadian criminal law, particularly Section 319 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits public incitement of hatred against identifiable groups.
Marouf’s history of antisemitic remarks is well-documented. In 2022, his organization, the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC), received nearly $130,000 from Canadian Heritage to develop an “anti-racism strategy for broadcasting.” Funding was revoked after Jewish groups exposed Marouf’s pattern of antisemitic comments, including calling Jews “loud-mouthed bags of human feces.” Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez later apologized, describing the incident as “inexcusable.” Despite widespread condemnation, no formal criminal charges or permanent government restrictions were implemented against Marouf or his affiliates.
Jewish organizations have expressed renewed alarm, calling the latest statements “a direct incitement to terrorist activity against Jews and Israelis worldwide” and urging Canadian authorities to open an immediate investigation. “When a Canadian-funded figure calls for attacks on Jewish journalists and institutions, silence from the government is not an option.”
The rhetoric has been widely interpreted as a clear incitement to hatred and violence, with public calls for law enforcement action in response. Observers note that the individual’s previous receipt of government funding and participation in federally supported programs contributed to a wider platform and greater visibility for these harmful views.
“These latest statements are nothing short of incitement to terror. Canadians should not tolerate it, and authorities must ensure this repeat offender faces justice.”
The controversy reinforces broader concerns about antisemitic disinformation and violent rhetoric online, particularly content cloaked in “anti-Zionist” language that explicitly targets Jewish and Israeli individuals. Security officials have noted a correlation between such posts and offline intimidation of Jewish journalists, activists, and synagogues since the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war.
The government has not yet confirmed whether it is investigating the new threats. Previous reviews centered on administrative errors, not criminal accountability, a gap that Jewish advocates say must now close, given the danger posed by open incitement.
This article is based on verified information from Laith Marouf’s public X account, statements from B’nai Brith Canada, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, and federal records regarding the Community Media Advocacy Centre’s funding from Canadian Heritage.