Some media commentators have decried the actions taken against such demonstrators as assaults on free expression, and portraying them as innocent victims, and even as casualties of “authoritarianism,” frequently ignoring, or otherwise seriously downplaying, the violence and hate inherent in many anti-Israel rallies.
Yet those commentators curiously ignore activists like Mona Ayesh.
In early February, Mona Ayesh, a prominent anti-Israel activist who is also a dance instructor, was arrested by Toronto police for her attempts to demonstrate over a busy highway overpass, in contravention of police restrictions.
A closer look Ayesh’s social media presence shows that she has done more than attempted to wave a flag; she has repeatedly glorified Palestinian violence against innocent civilians.
On October 7, in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ bloodthirsty genocidal massacre in southern Israel, Ayash took to social media to celebrate.
Posting on her personal Facebook page, she wrote (in Arabic): “Gaza. Welcome [Mohammed] Al-Deif,” referring to the chief commander of Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades, the group which had carried out the mass executions in Israel that morning.
HonestReporting Canada has independently verified the translation of Ayesh’s words from the original Arabic.
The same day, she posted on Facebook an invitation for that evening in the city of Mississauga, which read “Bring your flags/Bring your speakers/Bring your sweets/Bring your energy We are Celebrating.”
That day, Ayesh continued her praise of Hamas, writing on Facebook (in Arabic): “O Ever-Living, O Ever-Sustaining, by Your mercy we seek help. O Allah, give victory to our brothers in Gaza and Palestine. O Allah, set firm their feet and send them soldiers from Your army, O Allah..”
Among those who ‘liked’ her post was Sabrina Fuqhaa, owner and CEO of Neraba Immigration Consulting and Services, an immigration consultant who helps newcomers immigrate to Canada.
Once again on October 7, Ayesh shared a video to Facebook, produced by Hamas and set to stirring music, featuring footage of the attacks by the Islamic terrorist group that same day.
Even after testimonies of Hamas’ brutal attacks, including rape, torture, murder, and kidnapping, were widely available in the news media, Ayesh posted a video glorifying the terrorist group’s mass murders.
The next day, Ayesh attempted to frame Hamas’ deliberate targeting of innocent men, women and children as somehow akin to self-defence. She posted an update on Facebook, featuring a caricature of a news report, displaying the image of a man in a Ukrainian flag shooting a Russian tank, with the caption “self-defense,” and a Palestinian attacking an Israeli tank, with the caption “terrorism.”
Above the image, Ayesh wrote “Hey .. hypocrites of the western world ! Palestinians in the occupied land have the full right to defend them selves to free Palestine, exactly like Ukraine! Resistance against occupation is not terrorism! #freepalestine #gazaunderattack.”
The same day, Ayesh posted on Facebook (in Arabic), a clear call, in our view, for mass murder, writing “O Allah, with Your mercy we seek Your help. Destroy the Zionist occupiers and turn their plot back on their neck and leave none of them.”
What Hamas committed on October 7 was not a military attack; it was the premeditated slaughter of innocent people, much of which was filmed by the terrorists for posterity. Ayesh’s social media shows that she is not just a pro-Palestinian activist; her overt defence of, and indeed praise for, Hamas’ genocidal terrorism means that not only should she be removed by Facebook, so she can no longer spread her bile online, but that in our view, she should be investigated by the Toronto Police Services (TPS) to ensure she cannot pose a threat to the safety of those around her.
Follow these steps to report her account to Meta:
