Alberta separatism endangers all Canadians and fuels US aggression against Canada

By facilitating a separatist referendum Danielle smith has violated her oath of office and allegiance to the crown that she is sworn to uphold.

 

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

As Canada marks the 61st anniversary the red and white maple leaf flag today (February 15th), a symbol of unity forged in the fires of national identity, we find ourselves confronting an insidious threat from within. The Alberta separatist movement, spearheaded by groups like the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), may appear marginal but need to be taken seriously by all Canadians, with polls indicating support for separation hovering between 16% and 30% of Albertans. While much of this support is soft and symbolic, based on grievances against Ottawa, this relatively small faction poses an outsized danger to the fabric of Confederation. It weakens Canada at a dangerous moment in history when we face overt aggressions from the United States under President Donald Trump, including tariff wars, annexation rhetoric, and direct meddling in our sovereignty.

Even worse, the movement is riddled with white supremacist, racist, and fascist undertones that go beyond mere fringe elements, amplifying divisions that could profoundly erode social cohesion in Alberta and across Canada. Recent analyses highlight how separatist “town halls” have featured inflammatory anti-immigrant language, including mentions of the “great replacement” conspiracy theory that falsely claims federal policies are designed to displace “old stock” (i.e. white) Canadians with racialized newcomers. Speakers at Alberta Prosperity Project events have scapegoated immigrants as economic burdens and cultural threats, prompting formal complaints to anti-racism organizations like StopHateAB, and contributing to documented upticks in xenophobic harassment and fear among racialized communities.

This xenophobia often intersects with anti-Indigenous sentiments, where separatists portray treaty rights and reconciliation efforts as obstacles to provincial sovereignty, disregarding that historic treaties with First Nations predate Alberta’s existence and bind the Crown directly. Indigenous leaders from Treaties 6, 7, and 8 territories have condemned the movement outright, launching legal challenges and warning that it threatens ongoing reconciliation and Indigenous rights.

These exclusionary narratives align Alberta separatists with broader far-right networks in Canada, including neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups that have historically overlapped with anti-government militias and promoted ideologies of racial homogeneity for white people. Far from being isolated, such racist ideologies normalize hate speech, heighten risks of discrimination and violence against racialized Canadians and Indigenous peoples, and shred the multicultural fabric that defines modern Alberta. This makes the movement’s apparent marginality all the more deceptive in its potential to bring dangerous extremism into the political mainstream.

The separatist support, while limited in numbers, is by no means ineffective or benign. Recent surveys reveal that only about 16% of Albertans are “hardline” separatists committed to full independence, with broader support—around 28%—often serving as a protest vote against Ottawa rather than a genuine call for secession. The APP’s petition drive, aiming for 177,000 signatures by May 2026 to trigger a referendum, has garnered attention through community meetings, aggressive campaigning and the effective use of social media. But the relatively small size of the movement belies its impact.  Even a minority movement can destabilize a nation, as history shows with Quebec’s referendums in 1980 and 1995, which nearly tore Canada apart, and set the stage for years of rancorous federal-provincial relations.

In Alberta’s case, the danger is amplified by external forces in the form of Donald Trump and his designs on Canada. In this scenario the province’s oil-dependent economy, strained by federal environmental policies, becomes an issue that could be leveraged by Trump to the benefit of the US as the separatists seek American support.

It seems the separatist camp are ignoring how an independent Alberta would face insurmountable hurdles—currency shifts, border controls, having to take on their share of Canada’s $1.3 trillion national debt, and trade disruptions, as they suddenly fall outside trade agreements signed by the Canadian government.  All the political and economic infrastructure that has taken decades for Canada to build, all of this could cascade into economic turmoil and chaos for Alberta, and would also impact Canada negatively resulting in declining GDP and lost jobs.

Compounding the separatist threat is the movement’s deep entanglement with white supremacist, racist and fascist elements. Alberta has a troubling history of far-right extremism, from the Aryan Guard neo-Nazi group to militant networks like Diagolon, which blends neo-fascism with anti-authority ideologies. While the APP positions itself as a mainstream advocate for provincial autonomy, its events have featured inflammatory anti-immigrant rhetoric echoing white supremacist tropes by members of such groups. Speakers at separatist town hall events have invoked the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, alleging federal immigration policies intend to dilute “old stock” (i.e. white) Canadians. Anti-immigrant sentiments run rampant within the movement, with calls to restrict newcomers in an independent Alberta, portraying them as economic drains and cultural threats. This xenophobia has real-world consequences, with immigrant support groups in Alberta reporting surges in harassment and racist incidents linked to separatist messaging.

Anti-Indigenous racist rhetoric is equally pervasive, with separatists dismissing treaty rights as barriers to sovereignty, ignoring that treaties the Crown made with First Nations existed before Alberta came into being.  These treaties predate its creation by many years before Alberta was carved out of the North-West Territories via a federal statute.  First Nations leaders from Treaties 6, 7, and 8 territories, which cover almost all of the province, have unanimously rejected the concept of separatism, filing constitutional challenges and warning that not only is Alberta’s separation not possible under constitutional and federal laws, but that it undermines reconciliation efforts.

These elements align the movement with broader far-right ecosystems in Canada, where white supremacist groups like the Soldiers of Odin and Three Percenters have proliferated, often overlapping with anti-government militias. By normalizing hate within the movement the separatists not only endanger immigrants, racialized communities, and Indigenous peoples, but also damage Alberta’s social fabric, fostering an environment where a MAGA type movement would become rooted and foster violence similar to what we have seen in the US.

This internal division could not come at a worse time, as Canada grapples with escalating threats from the Trump White House. Since his return to office, the US has imposed near-universal tariffs on Canadian exports outside the Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA), escalating a trade war that has already cost both nations billions. Additionally, since returning to office Trump has repeatedly mused about annexing Canada as the “51st state,” dismissing our border as an “artificial line” and labeling Prime Minister Mark Carney (and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) as “Governor” in derogatory tweets. These are not idle jests, as they echo historical American imperialist narratives.

Additionally, APP leaders have held multiple covert meetings with US officials since April 2025, discussing logistics like switching to the US dollar, border security, and even a $500 billion credit line to fund Alberta’s independence. These meetings, confirmed by US State Department staff, represent blatant foreign interference in Canadian affairs, with the goal of exploiting Alberta’s oil and resource wealth and weakening Canada. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has called Alberta a “natural partner” for the US, signaling an intent to carve up our nation. In this context, separatism isn’t just provincial discontent—it’s a seditious fifth column that amplifies American aggression. A fractured Canada would be weaker and ill-equipped to counter Trump’s hegemonic designs in the Western Hemisphere leaving us vulnerable to economic coercion and loss of territory.

At the heart of this peril to Canadian sovereignty is Premier Danielle Smith’s role in enabling separatism. While publicly disavowing independence, claiming to support “a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” Smith has taken concrete steps to bolster the movement when her government amended provincial legislation, slashing the referendum petition signature threshold from 600,000 to 177,000, thereby making an independence vote far more feasible. This change directly aids groups like the APP and Stay Free Alberta. Moreover, Smith has permitted United Conservative Party (UCP) MLAs to openly sign the separation petition without repercussion, stating they “can sign whatever petition they want.” Separatist leader Jeff Rath claims multiple UCP caucus members have done so, blurring the lines between governance and disloyalty.

Smith’s Mar-a-Lago visit with Trump in January 2025 and her refusal to denounce US meddling further suggest alignment with forces undermining Canada, and should be viewed as sedition under the Criminal Code. Section 59 defines seditious intention as advocating force to effect governmental change, while Section 61 criminalizes seditious conspiracy with up to 14 years’ imprisonment. Though experts note sedition laws are archaic and rarely applied without violence, Smith’s facilitation of the separatist cause goes far beyond mere political tolerance.  By amending legislation to reduce the referendum petition signature threshold—making a separation vote far more attainable—she has actively facilitated separatism and thereby enabled a movement that seeks to dissolve Alberta’s place within the Canadian federation. These steps constitute not only potential sedition but also a direct violation of her oath of office.

As Premier, Smith swore under the Oaths of Office Act to be “faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her heirs and successors, according to law,” and to “diligently, faithfully and to the best of my ability execute according to law the office of Premier.” By making it easier for those pushing separation to orchestrate a referendum that would repudiate allegiance to the Crown and the constitutional unity of Canada, she has breached this solemn pledge of loyalty to the Sovereign and the federation she is sworn to uphold. Former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk has publicly accused her and her caucus of violating their oaths, arguing that elected officials who support separation while drawing salaries funded by the Crown are disloyal hypocrites.

By most accounts this amounts to sedition—aiding a movement that invites foreign powers to dismantle the federation. Alberta MLAs who have signed the separation petition are equally in violation of their identical oaths of office, flirting with disloyalty and warranting investigation as potential subversion. In an era of escalating US threats, such conduct erodes national unity and demands immediate accountability—whether through federal oversight, calls for their resignation from positions held under the Crown they have betrayed, or calls for their arrest under the criminal code.

Canada’s strength lies in unity symbolized by our flag, which replaced colonial symbols with a maple leaf representing all provinces. Allowing Alberta separatism to fester, unchecked with its racist undercurrents and foreign collusion, invites catastrophe. It weakens Canada against Trump’s bellicose policies, from tariffs that could devastate our economy to annexation fantasies that mock our sovereignty.

Let this flag day serve as a call to recommit to the federation for which Canadians past and present have fought and died.  In their name and in the name of all Canadians who believe in a united Canada we must reject separatism in all its forms, stand resolute against American aggression, and hold our own political leaders to account for actions that undermine the country they swore to serve. Only through this collective resolve can we preserve the inclusive, diverse, pluralistic, and resilient Canada that has endured for generations. Failure to act decisively now risks not merely Alberta’s isolation, but the gradual unravelling of the entire nation generations of Canadians have worked so hard to sustain.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

To protect Canadian sovereignty from US belligerence Carney must cancel the F-35 fighter jet deal

If Prime Minister Mark Carney meant what he said in his Davos speech rejecting the F-35 deal is the logical decision. The financial stakes are immense, and the cost of inaction endangers Canada.
 

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

In the shadow of escalating US threats to Canadian sovereignty, the New Democratic Party’s recent demand for Prime Minister Mark Carney to scrap the $19 billion F-35 fighter jet contract with Lockheed Martin has ignited a crucial national debate. The NDP is not merely suggesting a pivot. They are insisting on cancelling all 88 jets, including the 16 to which Canada is already committed, in favour of Sweden’s Saab Gripen.

This call comes amid a barrage of American provocations, from tariff threats on Canadian aircraft to repeated musings by President Donald Trump about annexing Canada as the “51st state.” As Canada grapples with these realities, it is imperative to recognize that procuring advanced defence hardware from a nation increasingly hostile to its allies poses an existential risk to its territorial integrity and independence. In such a scenario the NDP says that Canada must abandon the F-35 program completely to avoid entrusting its air defences to a partner that could disable them at will through software controls or a de facto kill switch.

The post-World War Two era of stable US-Canada relations, built on mutual trust and shared democratic values, is unequivocally over. For decades, Canada benefited from this alliance, contributing to NATO missions, protecting North American skies under NORAD, and enjoying the security umbrella provided by American military might. But under Trump’s second administration, that partnership has devolved into coercion and intimidation. Just days before the NDP’s announcement, Trump threatened to decertify the approximately 2,600 Bombardier jets operating in the US, and impose a 50% tariff on Canadian-made aircraft, ostensibly because Canada did not certify certain American made Gulfstream models swiftly enough. This threat against Canada’s aviation industry was no isolated incident. It followed punitive tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and softwood lumber that often bypass the protections of the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which Trump negotiated in his first administration.

But Trump’s rhetoric has escalated further. Since returning to the White House he has repeatedly floated the idea of annexing Canada as the 51st state, a notion he has invoked in speeches and on social media posts, framing it as a “joke” that thinly veils aggressive intent. Such statements are not harmless. They signal a fundamental shift where the US views its northern neighbour not as an equal ally but as a subordinate entity ripe for economic domination or outright absorption.

This erosion of trust extends to the heart of defence procurement. The F-35 is not merely a fighter jet, it is a sophisticated network-dependent platform with its operational effectiveness dependent on US-controlled software and data systems. Central to this are the Mission Data Files which serve as the aircraft’s “brains,” providing critical information on threat identification, route planning, and combat communication. These files are managed by a US team at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and require frequent updates, especially in conflict scenarios. American policy explicitly prohibits international operators from performing independent updates outside the continental United States, with Israel being the sole exception. For Canada (and other nations that buy the aircraft) this means total dependency, and without friendly relations with the US our F-35s could fly but would be rendered ineffective against threats, much like a smartphone starved of updates the aircraft would be vulnerable and obsolete.

Defence analysts have long warned of this “all the eggs in one basket” scenario, which is a set up for failure. The F-35’s Autonomic Logistics Information System funnels all data through US servers in Fort Worth, Texas, managed by Lockheed Martin. In a belligerent situation—such as escalated disputes over tariffs or border issues—the US could withhold updates, restrict access, or even implement a metaphorical “kill switch” to degrade the aircraft’s capabilities. This is not speculative fiction, it echoes restrictions placed on Ukraine’s use of F-16s against Russia, where the US limited operational freedoms to avoid escalation of the war. For Canada to invest $19 billion upfront—and a staggering $74 billion over the F-35’s life cycle—in a system that the US could neuter, is not strategic, it is suicidal.

Canada is not alone in having these concerns. Across NATO, allies are re-evaluating their reliance on American systems amid Trump’s erratic policies. Denmark, for instance, has expressed profound regret over its F-35 purchase. Rasmus Jarlov, chairman of Denmark’s parliamentary defence committee, publicly lamented the decision, fearing the US could disable the jets by halting spare parts supplies to coerce concessions over Greenland—a territory Trump has obsessively targeted for annexation, even threatening the use of force. Trump has also threatened tariffs on NATO allies opposing US control of Greenland, further straining the alliance. European officials have echoed these worries, suggesting contract cancellations if the US mirrors its restrictions on Ukraine’s fighters. Germany’s $10 billion deal for 35 F-35s is currently under scrutiny, and projections of over 550 European F-35s by decade’s end now seem precarious as trust evaporates.

Trump has also disparaged NATO troops’ contributions in Afghanistan and questioned the alliance’s mutual defence commitments. This has prompted a cascade of doubt. If the US can abandon commitments to Ukraine or threaten Denmark over Greenland, what prevents it from leveraging F-35 dependencies against Canada or other NATO allies over trade disputes? The stable alliance that defined the post-war order—where the US was the reliable guarantor—has been weaponized into a tool of coercion. As Prime Minister Carney articulated at the World Economic Forum in Davos, we are amid a “rupture, not a transition,” where middle powers like Canada must unite against great power rivalry and weaponized economic integration. Carney’s call for “strategic autonomy” resonates and shows that middle powers are not powerless. They can build alternatives that embody values like sovereignty and solidarity.

Enter the Saab Gripen as a viable path forward. Unlike the F-35, the Gripen offers operational sovereignty, with no requirement for permission on updates or mission planning. Saab’s proposal includes intellectual property transfer and assembly in Canada, enabling independent maintenance and upgrades. This deal promises up to 12,600 high value added jobs bolstering the Canadian aerospace sector while reducing dependency. By switching to the Gripen, Canada would signal to allies like Australia, Japan, and South Korea that alternatives exist, potentially unravelling US military hardware export dominance worth hundreds of billions.

Critics may argue that the F-35’s stealth capabilities are superior, but technical edge means little if political whims can result in the fleet being inoperable. Canada’s situation is symbolic, and the NDP’s demand followed Carney’s Davos speech, echoing his language on middle powers collaborating. If Carney meant what he said, rejecting the F-35 deal is the logical step. The financial stakes are immense—$74 billion committed to a multi-generational dependency—but the cost of inaction is higher. A compromised air defence network in an era where the US could sabotage the air force fleets of Canada if needed leaving this country vulnerable to American aggression.

Ultimately, Canada can no longer afford to trust the US as a steadfast ally. The threats of tariffs, annexation rhetoric, and potential control over our air defence hardware demands a decisive break from business as usual. Cancelling the F-35 contract, beyond the initial 16 jets at the least, and embracing Sweden’s Gripen is not anti-American, it is pro-Canadian, ensuring our sovereignty and territorial integrity. As Carney warned, if middle powers do not act together, they risk being on the menu.

Ottawa must heed the NDP’s urgent call to decisively change course on Canada’s fighter jet procurement, scrapping the F-35 program beyond the initial 16 jets and committing instead to the Saab Gripen to secure genuine operational independence. This is not merely a policy adjustment—it is an essential act of national self-preservation. The time for complacency is emphatically over. The defence of Canada now demands the immediate establishment of true independence in military procurement from the United States, an ally whose trust has been irreparably fractured by relentless threats, economic coercion, and annexation rhetoric that has been unseen in Canada-US relations since the 19th century.

In this new era of great-power belligerence, where Canada risks becoming a vassal state rather than a sovereign partner, strategic autonomy is no longer optional. It is the only path to safeguarding this nation’s territorial integrity, air sovereignty, and future as a free and independent nation. It’s time to fly on our own wings or Canada is sure to be grounded by a leash held by a belligerent neighbour.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

The world must unite against the menace of Donald Trump

Trump is a deranged force, and it is time for people in the United States, Canada, Europe, and across the globe to recognize the clear and present threat he poses... 

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

In an era where the fragility of democracy is laid bare, one figure stands as a stark emblem of peril—not just to the United States, but to the entire world. Donald Trump, a man whose every action and utterance reeks of malice, sociopathy, callousness, ignorance and racism, embodies a global threat that demands immediate and unified opposition. This is not hyperbole. It is a sober assessment of a leader who commits treason against his own nation with his every breath and action. His corruption surpasses that of any previous U.S. president, his self-serving nature knows no bounds, and his moral bankruptcy is matched only by his profound ignorance.

More alarmingly, Trump poses a danger eclipsing even Adolf Hitler, armed as he is with control over the world’s most potent nuclear arsenal, a military far superior to that of any other nation, and imperial ambitions that could ignite global catastrophe. He is a deranged force, an orange-tinged blight, and it is time for people in the United States, Canada, Europe, and across the globe to recognize the clear and present threat he poses, and rally together to stop him.

Trump’s pathology is evident in his relentless pursuit of power, a hunger that corrupts everything it touches. He revels in symbols of dominance, from skyscrapers emblazoned with his name, to his attempts to imprint his name on institutions that once stood for higher ideals. Consider his brazen move to associate his brand with the Kennedy Centre, a venue honouring John F. Kennedy—a president who symbolized hope and progress. This act alone sullies a legacy of American aspiration, replacing it with the crass commercialism of a man who views the presidency as an extension of his real estate empire, and a way to enrich himself.

But this is merely the surface. Beneath lies a deep-seated racism that seeks to purify the nation in his image, favouring those who are white while unleashing the forces of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on anyone who doesn’t fit his narrow racist vision of what an American should be. Under his influence, ICE operates like a modern Gestapo, targeting racialized immigrants, enforcing policies that tear families apart, and instilling fear in immigrant communities. Tragic cases, such as the alleged executions of figures like Alex Pretti and Renee Good, highlight how this agency has become a fascist cancer within American society, eroding the very principles of justice and basic humanity.

This racism is not isolated. It permeates Trump’s entire worldview, turning policy into a tool of exclusion and violence. He wags the tail of the nation like a dog, using lies upon lies to distract from his true agenda, which is fleecing the US treasury and the world through coercive tactics. His threats to take oil from Venezuela exemplify this, treating the natural wealth of sovereign nations as resources to be plundered for the benefit of the US. Tariffs imposed on trading partners worldwide serve as economic weapons, punishing allies and adversaries alike in a bid to assert global dominance. Trump is like a blood-sucking leech, draining vitality from American society and international relations. Even more disturbing are the personal horrors attributed to him—allegations of predatory behaviour towards vulnerable individuals, including young girls, which underscores a reprehensibility that shocks the conscience.

His supporters, donning their red MAGA hats sit idly by applauding as laws and constitutional rights are trampled to advance their fascist agenda. For them, loyalty to the man overrides fidelity to the republic, creating a cult-like atmosphere where accountability evaporates, not unlike how Germans viewed Hitler in his rise to power.

The danger escalates when we examine Trump’s foreign policy ambitions, which read like a blueprint for imperial conquest. He has openly mused about annexing Greenland, dismissing Denmark’s sovereignty as an inconvenience. His sabre-rattling toward Iran threatens to plunge the Middle East into further chaos, potentially sparking a conflict that could draw in global powers. Regime change in Cuba is another fixation, echoing Cold War aggressions but with modern military might. Perhaps most audaciously, he has joked—or perhaps not—about annexing Canada, treating a peaceful neighbour and ally as territory ripe for seizure. The Panama Canal, a symbol of international cooperation, is similarly in his sights, with vows to reclaim control through whatever means necessary. Trump has made clear that he will deploy any force he deems suitable to achieve his foreign policy goals, whether economic pressure, military intervention, or outright invasion. These are not idle threats. They stem from a mindset that views the world as a zero-sum game, where America’s gain requires the subjugation of others.

Compounding this external menace is Trump’s systematic dismantling of domestic institutions. He has shut down or severely cut back funding for critical agencies, fired top government and military officials—seasoned experts with decades of experience—replacing them with unqualified MAGA acolytes whose primary qualification is unwavering loyalty to him. This purge echoes the authoritarian playbook, where competence is sacrificed for sycophancy. Intelligence chiefs, generals, and senior officials with careers in the government who dared question his whims were ousted, leaving voids filled by ideologues ill-equipped to handle complex crises. The result is a government hollowed out, more prone to blunders that could have worldwide repercussions. Imagine a nuclear decision made not by strategic minds but by yes-men eager to please a volatile leader. This internal rot amplifies the global risk, as a weakened U.S. apparatus becomes a source of instability rather than stability.

To grasp the full scope of the threat, we must draw historical parallels, painful as they are. The last time a man of such malignant character seized control of a powerful nation, it led to World War Two—a conflagration that claimed over 70 million lives and left swaths of Europe and the Far East in ruins. Hitler, too, was underestimated at first, dismissed as a bombastic figure with fringe appeal. Yet his racism, desire for territorial expansion, cult of personality, and goal to “Deutschland wieder groß machen” (Make Germany great again), ignited a horror that reshaped the world. Trump, while not identical, shares eerie similarities--the demonization of minorities, the deconstruction of important government institutions, the erosion of democratic norms, and the pursuit of expanding American territory.

But unlike Hitler, Trump commands a nuclear arsenal capable of ending civilization in minutes, the most powerful military in the world with unparalleled reach, and social media platforms with well over 150 millions followers collectively. His ambitions to invade and occupy other nations could trigger the fracture of decades old alliances, collapse economies, and escalate conflicts into military exchanges that could go nuclear. The people of the United States are bearing the immediate brunt—through eroded rights, economic uncertainty, and social division—but the ripple effects threaten people around the world. Canadians face the spectre of annexation, Europeans the fallout from transatlantic rifts, and nations worldwide the chaos of disrupted trade, fractured supply lines, and heightened militarism.

This is why unity to confront the Trump threat is not optional, it is imperative. People in the U.S. must mobilize through votes, protests, and civic engagement to reclaim their democracy. Congress and the Senate hold the power to check this deranged lunatic—through investigations, impeachments, or legislative barriers—but they have too often faltered, cowed by fear and partisan pressures. Beyond America’s borders, Canada should fortify its sovereignty by pushing back against any encroachment with diplomatic resolve, international alliances, and increased investments in its military. Europeans, drawing from their own history of resisting tyranny, must strengthen NATO and economic ties with nations outside Europe to counter Trump.

Around the world—from Asia to Africa to Latin America—leaders and citizens alike should condemn his aggressions, forming coalitions to isolate his regime economically and politically. International bodies like the United Nations must amplify voices against his threats, while civil society groups coordinate global campaigns to expose his corruption, and push narratives that demonstrate how dangerous he really is.

In the US and overseas there are likely many who are praying for the Trump nightmare to end quickly. But prayer alone is insufficient, what is needed is decisive action. Americans, Canadians and Europeans cannot wait for the blight that is Donald Trump to consume more ground. Trump’s hold on power must be broken, not through violence, but through the collective will of free peoples. Educators should teach the lessons of history to prevent its repetition, journalists must speak truth to power without fear, and everyday citizens must not only engage in dialogue that bridges divides, but also be unafraid to speak out against fascist narratives. In the U.S., this means supporting civil society groups and independent institutions demanding accountability from elected officials. Internationally, it involves solidarity pacts that protect vulnerable nations from his predations.

Yet, the path forward demands nuance. While Trump’s flaws are glaring, the opposition must avoid descending into the same sort of divisiveness he fosters. Unity against him should be rooted in shared values—democracy, human rights, and international cooperation—rather than mere antagonism. By focusing on these principles, we can build a post-Trump era that is more resilient and just. The alternative is unthinkable--a slide toward authoritarianism that could dwarf the devastations of the 1930s and 1940s.

Ultimately Donald Trump represents an existential threat that transcends borders. His sociopathy, megalomania, racism, and fascist impulses endanger not only Americans but the global order. This is a man who can fairly be described as truly sick, a force of extortion and horror that must be stopped. The world has faced such dangers before, and emerged bruised and battered but stronger through unity. Now, as in the shadow of World War Two, we must rise together—Americans, Canadians, Europeans, and all global citizens—to ensure that this orange faced lunatic does not drag us into abyss. The time for action is now. Delay invites disaster. For the sake of our shared humanity and the future of our planet let us commit to this cause, and not repeat the mistakes that allowed a madman in the 1930s to set the world ablaze.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

In the face of the ongoing Gaza Genocide we cannot break or be silent

We cannot allow ourselves to be numbed into despair, exhausted into silence, or lied to until the last Palestinian child has been murdered by a terrorist, genocidal regime.

 

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

To every person of conscience, to every soul still capable of outrage and hope—we have watched horrors unfold that history will never forgive. Since October 2023, Gaza has been subjected to a relentless campaign of annihilation. The numbers are staggering and merciless—tens of thousands murdered outright by the Israeli military, hundreds of thousands more dead from starvation, disease, and the deliberate destruction of every means of sustaining life. The bombs dropped on this tiny strip of land have exceeded—by more than six times—the destructive force of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

The most documented genocide in history

What Israel is doing is not war. This is genocide as confirmed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, respected Jewish Holocaust scholars, and various international medical organizations.

This crime of crimes has been carried out with weapons and political cover supplied by the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Canada, and other nations which still dare to speak of upholding “international law” and “human rights” but do nothing uphold the ideals behind those terms. And the genocide continues—even now—despite every ceasefire announcement, every diplomatic phrase, every claim of restraint.

In all of this we see clearly who Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu is—a man who has turned the attack of October 7 into a license for the permanent conquest and erasure of the Palestinian people. He speaks of “peace” while ordering extermination. He speaks of “security” while directing the systematic destruction of an entire people’s future—its homes, its hospitals, its schools, its history, its children, its future. Every lie he utters, every racist edict, every mass grave he creates, stains not only his name but the moral credibility of the state he leads carrying out these crimes in the name of the Jewish people.

Netanyahu’s actions will stain Jewish communities around the world for generations. When a state commits atrocities while claiming to act on behalf of an entire people, the world too often answers with the oldest and most dangerous reflex—collective blame. We have seen this movie before, and we must refuse to let it be written again.

The Palestinian people are not collateral damage, they are the target. Their only crime is existing. Their only demand is to live free on the land their ancestors tended for centuries—free from military occupation, free from apartheid walls, free from settler violence, free from the daily humiliation of having their very existence debated as a security threat.

In the face of all this we cannot allow ourselves to be numbed into despair. We cannot allow ourselves to be exhausted into silence. We cannot allow ourselves to be lied to until the last Palestinian child’s voice is extinguished.

The day of reckoning for the criminal perpetrators of the Gaza genocide is inevitable. Those who ordered, enabled, financed, and excused this genocide will one day face justice, the judgment of history and of humanity. And that day arrives faster when ordinary people refuse to look away and be complicit through their silence.

As human beings witnessing horrors we will never forget, we demand—loudly, unapologetically, and without compromise—that our governments:

• Use all political, diplomatic and military means at their disposal to stop Israel’s genocidal crimes; 
• Open all of Gaza’s borders to allow humanitarian aid into the enclave;
• Immediately and unconditionally call for the release of the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli detention without charge or trial;
• Support the suspension and expulsion of Israel from the United Nations and all international institutions until it complies with international law;
• Impose a full military, economic, and trade embargo on Israel;
• Issue arrest warrants for all of Israel’s political and military leaders involved in implementing genocidal policies;
• Expel the Israeli ambassador and recall our own from Tel Aviv;
• Publicly and definitively reject the very flawed IHRA definition of antisemitism;
• Uphold and defend the rights of Palestinians to freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly;
• Require the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from all occupied Palestinian territories;
• Pursue accountability through international courts and under the concept of universal jurisdiction for every individual and every individual and institution responsible for crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza.

This is not a list of distant ideals. These are the minimum conditions of justice. Anything less is continued partnership in a crime against humanity.

The eyes of the world are watching those who have power to act. The future of an entire people—and the soul of the so-called “rules-based international order”—now depends on whether our leaders choose cowardice and political expediency or courage.

Do not wait for the perfect moment. Do not wait until the last house in Gaza is rubble and the last Palestinian child has been silenced.

It is our duty as beings who claim to be human to rise up, speak out, organize, disrupt, and demand until there is justice, safety and freedom for Palestinians.

We cannot bend or break. We cannot forget, and we will not forgive complicity.

Free Palestine—from the river to the sea—and from the river to the sea, justice will prevail.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

Dismantling the Zionist myth of divine entitlement to claims on Palestinian territory

Palestinians can trace their roots to ancient Canaanites, with genetic continuity linking modern Palestinians to Bronze Age populations far more directly than the vast majority of Ashkenazi Jew.

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

The notion that the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea—historic Palestine—was divinely ceded to the Jewish people, granting them perpetual ownership, has long served as a cornerstone of Zionist and Israeli narratives. This claim, rooted in ancient religious texts, has been invoked since the 1940s by Israel and its supporters to justify decades of displacement, occupation, and violence against Palestinians. Yet, it crumbles under scrutiny.

"This Land Is Mine": A History of Who Owns Palestine

Not only does the premise lack a foundation in modern international law, but it ignores the deep, continuous ties Palestinians—Muslims, Christians, and indigenous Jews—have to the land, far surpassing those of the predominantly European Ashkenazi Jews who arrived in waves over the past 125 years. The reality is that Palestinians are not interlopers in the lands that Israel controls despite what Zionists claim.  They are the indigenous stewards of this territory, their presence woven into its soil for millennia. In contrast, the Zionist colonial project mirrors the settler colonialism that ravaged the Americas and Australia, where European arrivals displaced indigenous and aboriginal populations under the fabricated pretexts of empty or unclaimed land.

The Zionist myth of divine right perpetuates a dangerous exceptionalism, portraying Israelis as the “chosen” inheritors while erasing Palestinian history and humanity. The stark reality is that the land is not too small for coexistence between two peoples, as evidenced by nations like Belgium and Haiti, which share similar sizes and populations (around 12 million each) without descending into ethnic purges. What obstructs peace between Israeli Jews and Palestinians is Israel’s adherence to policies of apartheid and ethnic cleansing, initiated in the 1947-1948 war and continuing until the present day. Coexistence demands rejecting the idea that God favours one group over another, a concept absent from equitable interpretations of faith and incompatible with the concept of universal human rights.

Historic Palestine’s story begins not with divine decrees but with human habitation. Palestinians can trace their roots to ancient Canaanites, with genetic continuity linking modern Palestinians to Bronze Age populations far more directly than most Ashkenazi Jews. Studies of the DNA of Palestinians—encompassing Muslims, Christians, and Sephardic or Mizrahi Jews who lived harmoniously under Arab rule—reveals that they share over half their ancestry with ancient Canaanites, the biblical forebears of the region. In contrast, Ashkenazi Jews, who form the majority of Israel’s population, exhibit significant European ethnic heritage, with origins tracing to migrations and conversions in Europe, not a straight line to ancient Israelites. One analysis notes that Palestinians in the Holy Land retain a genetic makeup far closer to first-millennium BCE Israelites and Canaanites than Ashkenazi Europeans. This underscores that Ashkenazi arrivals are relative newcomers, with their claims bolstered primarily by colonial-era migrations rather than an unbroken lineage tracing back to ancient times.

The Zionist narrative also conveniently overlooks the fact that while Jews were expelled from Jerusalem by Romans in the first and second centuries CE they were never barred from settling within Palestine. Historical records show that while many dispersed into the diaspora, Jewish communities persisted in the territory and there was no absolute prohibition that prevented them settling outside that city. Roman policies led to the creation of a diaspora, but some Jews remained, and others could have returned under varying rulers but didn’t. The region saw waves of conquerors over the centuries, yet under Arab and Ottoman governance—from 637 to 1917, spanning roughly 1,200 years, interrupted briefly by Crusader and Egyptian interludes—Palestine experienced relative stability. The Ottoman Empire controlled the territory for about 400 years (1516–1917), and during this era, indigenous Palestinians—Muslims, Christians, and Jews—coexisted, with the land’s defined by a shared culture and history.

A pivotal example of inclusive Muslim rule in Palestine is Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187. Far from excluding Jews, Saladin explicitly invited Jewish families to return, guaranteeing freedom of worship. He extended tolerance to Christians, preserving their churches and allowing pilgrimage to holy sites. This benevolence contrasts sharply with European Christian persecutions, where Jews faced massacres and expulsions. Many Jews thrived in Muslim-majority lands from Morocco to Iran, enjoying relative peace and prosperity, which explains why mass returns to Palestine did not occur until Zionist mobilization in the late 19th century. The “eternal dream” of return was, for centuries, a minority pursuit given the peace and prosperity that Jews experienced in Muslim lands. This is also evidenced by the fact that at the turn of the 20th century, Jews comprised only about 4% of Palestine’s population, around 24,000 out of approximately 586,000.

Zionist leaders were acutely aware of this demographic reality—the overwhelming Palestinian majority in a land they sought to claim—but they pressed forward with their colonial vision undeterred. The infamous slogan “a land without a people for a people without a land,” popularized by early Zionists, mirrored the European colonial doctrine of “terra nullius,” which falsely declared indigenous territories as empty or unowned to rationalize conquest and dispossession. This legal fiction was wielded by European powers to seize lands in the Americas and Australia, ignoring thriving native civilizations with deep-rooted societies, economies, and spiritual connections to the land.

Similarly, in Palestine, this Zionist myth served as propaganda to portray the region as desolate, ripe for Jewish settlement, despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary. Palestine was no barren wasteland. It was a vibrant mosaic of life, teeming with hundreds of cities, towns, and villages where Palestinian families had nurtured olive groves, tended fruit orchards, herded livestock, and forged communities over centuries of continuous habitation. Archaeological and historical records, including maps from the Roman era onward, consistently label the region as “Palestine” or “Palestina,” debunking Zionist assertions that the land or its people never existed as such. Palestinians’ continuing self-identification as a distinct people, with a shared language, culture, and heritage, further solidifies their national identity, even if formal nationalism, like Zionism itself, only emerged in the modern era. This parallel development does not diminish Palestinian indigeneity. It highlights how both identities were shaped by 19th and 20th century political awakenings, yet Palestinians’ ties to the soil predate these constructs by millennia.

The Nakba of 1948 laid bare the true intent of Zionism, which was not peaceful coexistence, but systematic erasure of the Palestinian presence to engineer a Jewish ethnostate. Zionist militias, considered terrorists by British Mandate authorities, well-armed and organized under plans like Plan Dalet, launched a premeditated war to seize territory beyond the UN partition proposal, expelling over 750,000 Palestinians—more than half the indigenous population—and erasing more than 500 villages to prevent their return. This catastrophe was no accidental by-product of conflict but rather was orchestrated with chilling precision.

David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding prime minister, openly advocated for ethnic cleansing in plans for the conquest of Palestine. In a 1937 letter to his son, he declared, “We must expel Arabs and take their places... and, if we have to use force... then we have force at our disposal.” A decade later, in 1948, he reinforced this when he said, “We must do everything to insure they (the Palestinians) never do return.” Echoing this ruthless resolve Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first president, dismissed Palestinians as mere “rocks of Judea, as obstacles that had to be cleared on a difficult path.” Yosef Weitz, a key figure in the Jewish National Fund, was even more explicit: “There is no room for both peoples together in this country...The only solution is a Palestine without Arabs.”

These damning statements, drawn from personal correspondences and official records, confirm that the Nakba was a deliberate campaign of violence and displacement, paralleling settler colonial genocides in other continents where indigenous peoples were forcibly removed to make way for European settlers. Additional Zionist voices, such as Israel’s second prime minister Moshe Sharett, lamented the “Arab problem” and endorsed transfer (ethnic cleansing), and Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who advocated an “iron wall” of force against the native population.  All these statements underscore the ideological commitment of Zionist leaders to demographic engineering through expulsion, ethnic cleansing, and eventually genocide.

Today, the demographic balance in Israel and the occupied territories remains strikingly even, with approximately 7.8 million Jews and over 7.4 million Palestinians, including 2.1 million Palestinian citizens of Israel and about 5.3 million in the West Bank and Gaza. Yet Israel’s policies of a decades long brutal occupation, blockades, expanding settlements, and repeated military assaults are designed to disrupt this parity, perpetuating a system of apartheid and demographic control. The ongoing genocide in Gaza, ignited by the October 2023 Hamas attack, exemplifies this brutality. The official Palestinian death toll now exceeds 76,000, but comprehensive studies incorporating indirect fatalities from starvation, disease, and collapsed infrastructure paint a far grimmer picture. Research by Ben Gurion University academic Yaakov Garb, using data from the Israeli military, estimates 377,000 to 400,000 deaths, while analyses by Australian academics Richard Hil and Gideon Polya suggest 680,000 to 700,000 Palestinian dead as of April 2025. These staggering figures include up to 380,000 children under five, drawing inescapable parallels to Nazi atrocities—systematic crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide that have decimated generations.

Israel’s actions embody textbook settler colonialism--the displacement of native populations, the importation of foreign settlers, and the rewriting of history to legitimize land theft. Just as European conquerors in the Americas dismissed complex indigenous societies as primitive and in Australia proclaimed Aboriginal lands as empty, Zionists reframed Palestine as vacant, ignoring its millennia-old societies and civilizations. Yet Palestinians endure, their bloodlines, cultural traditions, and historical narratives inextricably bound to the land, far more so than the European-descended settlers who arrived in the 20th century. Over seven million Jews and more than seven million Palestinians claim no other homeland.  And that Palestinian claim to the land erases the Zionist narrative of absolute entitlement that has perpetuated almost eight decades of Israeli injustice.

True peace demands the urgent dismantling of these colonial myths through robust international intervention, including deploying a multinational peacekeeping force to shield Palestinians from Israeli state-sponsored violence, mandating the immediate evacuation of over 700,000 illegal Jewish settlers from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and affirming Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem as sovereign Palestinian territory under international law, with conditions or restrictions. This is not merely pragmatic, it is a moral imperative to rectify decades of brutal dispossession and affirm the universal right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.

Only by prioritizing human rights over divine or ancient historical claims can a shared future be forged embodying dignity, equality, and genuine coexistence, where the land between the river and the sea becomes a beacon of reconciliation rather than a graveyard of conquest. The world must act now before more generations of Palestinians are lost to ensure that justice prevails and peace becomes a reality from the river to the sea rather than a fleeting and unfulfilled dream.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

Trump’s treasonous acts are rotting the soul of the US and destroying American democracy

Donald Trump’s presidency is the opening act of America's tragic decline. By rotting the nation’s collective soul he irreversibly embeds fascism into the heart of US political culture.

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

A nation can survive its fools as leaders and even their ambitions. But it cannot survive treason from within, and that is what Donald Trump is committing—treason against the United States since he was re-elected in 2024. In most instances the traitor doesn’t appear as a traitor but rather as someone who speaks in language and ideas familiar to their victims, appealing to the basest instincts that lie deep within the hearts of all human beings. But when in power, they rot the soul of a nation with their policies and actions, working secretly and openly to undermine its foundational pillars. They infect the body politic so deeply that it can no longer resist their machinations. One could even say that in some ways they are to be more feared than hardened criminals.

As the world enters the second year of Donald Trump’s second presidency, the US (and the world) stands at a precipice. Trump’s return to the White House, admittedly a remarkable political resurrection, has also been a harbinger of an irreversible decline. His leadership and the people in his administration are systematically eroding the moral and institutional foundations of the US, transforming it from a supposed beacon of democracy into a hollow shell of authoritarianism. This is not hyperbole but a sober assessment drawn from historical parallels and contemporary analyses. Trump’s presidency is rotting the soul of America, initiating a long decline from superpower status that future administrations will be unlikely to reverse.

Consider the soul of a nation as its collective ethos—the shared values of liberty, justice, and human dignity that American leaders have used to define the nation since its founding. Trump has assaulted this ethos in a relentless fashion since his first administration. His rhetoric, laced with divisive and dehumanizing language, has normalized hatred and eroded empathy in American society. As one critical essay noted, Trump embodies a reflection of America’s darker impulses, much like the portrait in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, revealing the ugliness beneath the surface. His policies and pronouncements have fostered a culture where truth is malleable, facts are “alternative,” and dissent is branded as terrorism or disloyalty. This corrosion is evident in the surge of political violence and polarization that has intensified since his first election in 2016. Scholars have argued that Trump’s presidency destroyed virtues essential to national ambition like intellectualism and integrity, leading to a shredding of the nation’s moral fabric.

This rotting of America’s soul, which has been in progress for years, is inextricably linked to the nation’s slow decline as a global superpower. For decades, the US has maintained its hegemony through military might, economic dominance, and soft power—while trumpeting the allure of its democratic ideals. Under Trump, these pillars are deteriorating. His isolationist “America First” agenda has alienated allies, weakened international institutions, and emboldened adversaries like Russia and China. Analyses by senior officials from the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations highlight how Trump’s decisions have systematically shrunk the US from a global leader to a regional power, with irreversible damage to its credibility. The abandonment of multilateral agreements, such as his threats to withdraw from NATO and pull back from multiple international institutions and bodies, has signalled to the world that America is unreliable as a partner and an ally. As one report starkly puts it, Trump’s administration is steadily undermining US power, creating a more chaotic international order where American influence diminishes with every passing day. And this decline is structural not temporary. The erosion of trust in the US by its allies and trading partners means that even if the Democrats regained power they would struggle to rebuild alliances and friendships, marking the beginning of a long, inexorable slide from superpower status.

Central to this transformation is Trump’s pushing the US toward fascism, epitomized by his weaponization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a modern day gestapo, his scapegoating of immigrants and the LGBTQ2 and his systematic efforts to delegitimize democratic institutions. Under Trump’s directives, ICE has expanded into a paramilitary force with a budget surpassing all other policing agencies combined, instigating deadly violence on the streets of American cities, conducting raids, mass deportations, and surveillance that echo the tactics of authoritarian regimes. Reports from human rights observers describe ICE operations as intensifying in a manner reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s Gestapo, with agents employing fear and brutality to enforce draconian policies.

Trump’s rhetoric about immigrants as “vermin” and “poisoning the blood” of America draws directly from Hitler’s playbook, dehumanizing entire populations to justify state violence. This is not mere enforcement of immigration law, it is the building of an authoritarian state apparatus. Critics of Trump’s regime argue that he has successfully created a fascist state through his policies and actions—a nation that fought fascism in World War Two at great cost has become a fascist authoritarian state, where loyalty to Trump’s personality cult supersedes the rule of law, and dissent is crushed under the guise of security.

However, the most chilling aspect of Trump’s embrace of fascism is that it is not confined to Trump himself. It is embedded in the MAGA movement that is the foundation of his power, and the people around him, ensuring it will not disappear even if Trump leaves the stage through impeachment, defeat, or death. Figures like Vice President J.D. Vance—a one-time critic of Trump who compared him to Hitler—embody this enduring threat. He has become a fervent disciple, echoing the fascist undertones of MAGA ideology with appeals to raw power and exclusionary, racist nationalism.

Analyses of Trumpism describe it as a form of authoritarianism that radicalizes in office, with leaders like Vance and cabinet members worshipping at the altar of Trump’s ideology and his personality cult. The cabinet, stocked with loyalists who prioritize personal allegiance over constitutional duty, includes ideologues who push for policies that entrench fascist elements—such as mass surveillance, voter suppression, and the erosion of judicial independence. Even if Trump vanished, these true believers would continue to carry his torch, even as fascism in America becomes a cancer and not the personal quirk of one man. Scholars warn that utilizing terms like “fascism” to describe what is happening in the US is politically essential to mobilize against this movement, which has realigned political and economic grievances into nationalist exclusion.

Beyond America’s borders, Trump’s fixation on the Arctic poses existential dangers to Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and Norway. As Arctic nations, these countries not only control vital resources but also strategic sea lanes that will become increasingly contested due to climate change and thawing Arctic ice. Trump’s repeated threats to seize Greenland—which he framed as essential for US security—reveal a colonial and imperialist mindset that treats sovereign territories as real estate that can be bought or threatened into the arms of the US. His administration views the Arctic as a battleground against Russia and China, but his aggressive rhetoric has escalated tensions, putting allies at risk. For Canada, this means heightened vulnerability in the Arctic, where Trump’s complaints about inadequate defences could lead to coercive demands or unilateral US actions on or over Canadian territory in the far north.

Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous Danish territory, faces direct threats of annexation which could destabilize NATO and invite broader conflicts, despite Trump’s recent walk back. Key Arctic allies Iceland and Norway, are similarly endangered by Trump’s zero-sum approach, which prioritizes American dominance over cooperative security. Experts argue that Trump’s Greenland gambit exposes the costs of overt aggression, risking monumental fallout across the NATO alliance. This obsession exposes Trump’s ignorance, political folly and antipathy towards international relations and diplomacy that endangers the delicate balance that has maintained stability in the Arctic for more than a century.

Ultimately, Donald Trump’s presidency is not just another chapter in American history but the opening act of its tragic decline. By rotting the nation’s collective soul with the ugliness of his political vision, fostering fascism through institutions like ICE, initiating racist immigration policies, and vilifying immigrants, minorities and anyone who opposes him, Trump is embedding an irreversible authoritarian movement into the heart of US political culture, and setting the nation on a path from which recovery seems impossible in the short term. The dangers also extend northward, threatening Canada and its Arctic neighbours with a belligerent hegemonic power fixated on territorial expansion.

History teaches us that empires fall not from external foes but from internal rot, and the US is no exception—its foundations crumbling under the weight of division, deceit, and demagoguery sown by a leader who prioritizes and covets absolute power over principle. From the Roman Empire’s descent into corruption and tyranny to the British Empire’s erosion through moral decay and overreach, the pattern is clear—nations implode when their core values are poisoned from within, and when they allow personalities into positions of leadership who crave political and economic supremacy at home and abroad.

The Trump era has accelerated America’s decay, turning democratic institutions into tools of oppression, eroding trust in government, and normalizing hatred that fractures communities and silences dissent. It is time for the world—and Americans themselves—to recognize Trump’s treason from within as the insidious betrayal it truly is—a deliberate assault on liberty, equality, and justice that echoes the darkest chapters of history. Americans must act with unyielding resolve, through global solidarity, vigilant advocacy, and unwavering resistance, before the pillars of American democracy collapse entirely, leaving behind a hollow shell of what was once a nation that saw itself a beacon of democracy and freedom, and dragging its neighbours and allies into the abyss of instability and conflict.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.

Carney and Poilievre demonstrate galling hypocrisy on preventing genocide in Holocaust Remembrance Day speeches

Without acknowledging the Gaza genocide Carney and Poilievre diminish the humanity of Palestinians, further reinforcing Canadian complicity in Israeli atrocities.

 

By Fareed Khan 
A version of this article can be found on Substack.

 

Canada’s political leaders gathered at the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa today (January 27) to pay solemn tribute to the victims of one of history’s darkest chapters. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stood before the stark memorial, intoning the sacred vow of “never again.” Their words echoed the memory of the Holocaust’s atrocities and acknowledged Canada’s own historical complicity in turning away Jewish refugees during World War II. Carney spoke of the consequences of ignorance and hatred, emphasizing vigilance so that “never again” remains true. Poilievre highlighted rising antisemitism and the need for Jews to feel safe in Canada, declaring that only then would the oath be fulfilled. It was a poignant ceremony, meant to reaffirm our collective commitment to preventing genocide.

However, this display rings profoundly hollow. As these politicians uttered “never again,” a genocide continues to unfold in real time in Gaza, broadcast live on social media for the world to witness. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, ongoing since October 2023, has caused massive loss of life. While official figures put the death toll at more than 76,000 resulting from Israeli military assaults, independent analyses report hundreds of thousands of deaths (a third of them children) from famine, disease, infrastructure collapse, and malnutrition, pushing the total to more than 377,000 according to Ben Gurion University professor Yaakov Garb, and over 680,000 in an analysis by Australian academics Gideon Polya and Richard Hil. Emaciated children, bombed hospitals, destroyed neighbourhoods, and aid convoys turned into kill zones—these horrors are not concealed but streamed in high definition. Despite this visibility, Western leaders, including those in Canada, avert their eyes, offering political platitudes while enabling the violence through arms transfers and diplomatic cover.

This is the betrayal of “never again,” a phrase forged from the Holocaust’s ashes, meant to include all victims of genocide, but now selectively applied. The Gaza situation surpasses the Holocaust in visibility (live-streamed atrocities versus hidden camps), duration (spanning 78 years from the 1948 Nakba onward, including the 2007 blockade turning Gaza into an open-air concentration camp), inversion of victim and perpetrator (Israel invoking Holocaust narratives to justify genocide against Palestinians), and complicity (Western allies actively enabling Israel in its genocidal crimes). During the Holocaust, Nazis operated in secrecy and Allied forces uncovered the full horror only upon liberation. In Gaza, images and video of the genocide are widely shared on social media and perpetrators often share footage of destruction, yet no decisive intervention follows by the nations intoning “never again” in ceremonies today.

Canada’s complicity is particularly stark. Despite a 2024 pause on new military export permits to Israel, a major loophole persists. Canadian-made weapons components—aircraft parts, explosives, and armoured vehicle technology—are shipped to U.S. firms, then integrated into systems sent to Israel. Reports document dozens of such shipments since 2024, including aircraft components matched to Israeli imports between 2024 and 2025. Advocacy groups like Arms Embargo Now have exposed this “U.S. loophole,” which bypasses Canada’s permitting and human rights assessments. Bills like the No More Loopholes Act (C-233), introduced in 2025, seek to close it, but progress lags. Critics warn these exports make Canada complicit in Israeli war crimes. Meanwhile, Carney and Poilievre condemned antisemitism during today’s speeches, addressed the need to fight racism and hate, but made no reference to hate that has resulted in Gaza’s suffering or Canada’s role in sustaining it—transforming today’s remembrance ceremony into and exercise in national hypocrisy.

In his remarks Poilievre emphasized protection against antisemitism, yet his silence on Israeli atrocities in Gaza aligns with the unequivocal support the Conservatives have given Israel historically. Meanwhile, Carney’s government talks about its concern for the humanitarian situation in Gaza but sustains the arms pipeline to Israel indirectly. Today’s ceremony, which failed to acknowledge the Gaza genocide causes “never again” to mean “never again to us,” applying only to Jews, thereby diminishing the humanity and lives of Palestinians. This selective remembrance, placing the lives of Jewish Holocaust victims above all others, inverts roles, where Israel invokes historic trauma and plays the victim while inflicting atrocities on Palestinians that have been labelled genocide by respected international organizations, human rights experts, Holocaust scholars, Jewish intellectuals, and others, crimes that have widespread support among Israeli Jews, according to a March 2025 poll in Ha’aretz.

Gaza’s decades of suffering and oppression traces back to the 1948 Nakba, when over 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from over 500 towns and villages. The ongoing blockade of the enclave since 2007 has rationed essentials, inflicting generational despair. Bodies like the International Court of Justice, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem have documented crimes that meet the definition of genocide, yet Canada provides political cover and tacit support via legal loopholes and continued diplomatic and economic relationships.

Compounding this is Holocaust Remembrance Day’s narrow framing. Statements from Carney, Poilievre, and other politicians focused almost exclusively on the six million Jewish victims. This omits a critical truth. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum estimates that Nazis murdered 11-17 million people total, including Roma, disabled individuals, Soviet POWs (millions starved), Slavic peoples (nearly two million killed), Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, and dissidents. By erasing these 5-11 million non-Jewish victims from public discourse, we mock the observance and insult their memory. It reduces the Holocaust to a singular narrative serving political ends, not universal lessons against all genocides. This moral hierarchy—elevating some sufferings while sidelining others, like the Holodomor, Cambodian genocide or colonial atrocities, normalizes apathy towards atrocities still being committed in Gaza.

This is a scenario where Hannah Arendt’s “banality of evil” applies, one where bureaucratic loopholes, diplomatic silences, and selective remembrances enable horrors. Carney and Poilievre’s remarks today in front of a monument to one of the worst horrors of the 20th Century, neglecting to connect past to present, betrays the vow of “never again.”

To truly honour the memory of Holocaust victims would require closing arms loopholes, imposing broad sanctions, recognizing more than 75 years of Palestinian suffering, and expanding remembrance to all victims. Only then can “never again” mean never again for anyone, anywhere.

© 2026 The View From Here. © 2026 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.