Supporting Israel, & Protecting Canada: Interview with MP Kevin Vuong

When the terrorist attacks of October 7th occurred last year, protest movements sprung up across the world. Many people sympathized with the 1,200 victims and the couple hundred hostages taken by Hamas; many were also quick to denounce Israel before the country had even responded to the attack. Almost immediately, a large and loud segment of people on the streets and in the media coalesced to protest Israel.

There have been legitimate issues raised against Bibi Netanyahu and his administration, who, even before the war, faced widespread protests and civil unrest within Israeli society. Questions have been asked, and criticism leveled at how Hamas was able to penetrate Israel’s high-tech security in such an audacious & violent incursion. Then, once the war began, the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) conduct of the war faced increasing global scrutiny as casualties mounted on both sides, and the conflict dragged on month after month –seemingly no end in sight. Global scrutiny of the war has been so intense that almost every bullet fired, bomb dropped, or other action taken (no matter the scope) has been the subject of furious debate.

While so much of the global focus has been on scrutinizing Israel this last year, proper inspection and due diligence into ‘scrutinizing the scrutinizers’ fell short. Amidst those with honest political disagreements protesting Israel, there are also nefarious actors. For example, at the beginning of the war, it was revealed that global institutions like the United Nations allowed for the unfettered infiltration of Hamas into UNRWA; indeed, several UN workers were found to have participated in the Oct. 7th attacks. More recently, Hezbollah tunnels in Southern Lebanon were found within 100 meters of a UNIFIL base, exposing their tacit complicity.

For many, these revelations were not surprising, as similar allegations against UN agencies have long existed. However, a relatively new phenomenon has been the infiltration of terrorist and terrorist-affiliated entities into Canada. Although Canada has listed both Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist entities for decades, organizations such as the Yemeni Houthis or Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) somehow avoided such designations before the start of the war. However, pressure against such groups has been building –primarily led by the Tories.

Over the Summer, the IRGC was labelled a “terrorist entity”, and just recently ‘Samidoun’ was banned. Although, the removal of such groups would seem obvious, their removal required initiative by brave individuals willing to stand up against extremism. One such person was Member of Parliament Kevin Vuong, who vocally championed the removal of Samidoun and took the time out of his busy schedule to do an interview on the subject.

(Note: This interview was conducted the day of the vote to ban Samidoun, with Mr. Vuong giving his thoughts on the matter only a few hours before the vote was cast, and the outcome was still undetermined.)

MR. VUONG’s BIOGRAPHY:

Prior to politics, Kevin Vuong was a businessman involved in manufacturing and tech, he also had a second career in the military as a Naval Reserve Officer. When he was asked to run by the Liberal Party Mr. Vuong agreed, but with some trepidation. He said, “I didn’t feel they were entirely reflecting my views, my values, but I felt like they were missing perspectives.”

As a former businessman, Mr Vuong expressed that he thought he could bring in a unique perspective of someone who knows what it’s like to worry about expenses such as paying next month’s rent, knowing the pressures of making payroll, and what it is like to have people rely on you so that they can put food on the table, pay their mortgage, ect.

Foremost, Mr. Vuong was grateful to Canada and proud to serve, “This was an opportunity for me to be able to give back to the country that welcomed my parents as refugees when other countries are closing their borders to people in need and do some good!”

Unfortunately for his candidacy, two days before the election, Mr. Vuong was dropped by the Liberal Party over allegations that were later proven false, but the damage was done. Thereafter, Mr. Voung became an Independent candidate and went on to win the election despite the attempted smearing of his reputation.

SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL:

Despite what the critics may say, accusing a now Independent Mr. Voung of ‘pandering to conservatives and zionists’, he has been a longtime ally of the Jewish community and Israel for over a decade.

For example, Mr Vuong has been a longtime proponent against the ‘Boycott Divest & Sanction’ (BDS) movement, originally getting involved in the topic during his academic career at the University of Toronto. When he was attending grad school, Mr Voung was part of the student council. So, when they had a vote on BDS Mr. Vuong said, “I fought very hard to ensure that at least the law school would not vote, and I was able to get them to abstain.” Although he described the outcome as “not ideal,” Mr. Vuong made a principled stand, which is even more commendable when on the losing side of a vote.

Unlike many of those who like to criticize Israel, Mr. Vuong has actually visited the country. He did so all the way back in 2015 as part of a group of 7 Canadians with Asian Heritage. He described the aim of the trip, “we met with the office of Canada’s permanent representative in the Palestinian Authority, and this was an opportunity for us to get unfiltered access to Israelis but also Arabs to get educated on the history of the region and come to our own conclusions.”

As a result of his experiences, Mr. Vuong doesn’t take the hate-filled rhetoric filling our streets lightly and denounces dog-whistle slogans such as ‘From the River to the Sea,’ as well as chants for Intifada and Jihad.

“So, when people are –whether they’re useful idiots or not– cheering from a place of intention to call for the elimination of Israel, I know what that means.” He continued, “I’ve actually been to Israel. “That river, they chant about. I’ve seen it!”

BANNING SAMIDOUN:

Over the last year one organization that has been in Mr. Vuong’s crosshairs was Samidoun. He has raised the issue of Samidoun many times in parliament, decrying the government’s inaction to label them a terrorist-affiliated entity.

For those unaware, there are a plethora of articles explaining the organization in great detail, including one in the Aug. 28th edition of the Jewish Post. In short, they are terrorist sympathizers, promoting violence and hate.

Mr. Vuong has made the case countless times against Samidoun and did a quick run-down of the issues. He began by pointing out that Samidoun is known to be affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is a designated terror organization in Canada. Recall the PFLP were notorious aeroplane hijackers and have claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks throughout the years. Mr. Vuong also pointed out that Canada is out of step with many of our allies regarding Samidoun. He stated, “Samidoun is banned from Germany, a fellow democracy and a G7 partner. One of their leaders, Khaled Barakat, is banned from the entire EU.”

“He is banned from a full freaking continent,” Mr. Vuong exclaimed! “Yet, this organization and their leaders are able to operate and fundraise on Canadian soil. I think it’s utterly shameful.”

One leader in particular, Charlotte Cates, the international coordinator for Samidoun, has made headlines for receiving an award from the Islamic regime in Tehran. Mr Vuong was not impressed, saying, “This murderous, evil, and oppressive regime gave her a human rights award. And I will suggest that if an evil regime gives you an award, that tells us everything we need to know about you.”

Regardless of receiving awards from international pariahs (which ultimately is merely symbolic), Mr. Vuong denounced Samidoun’s domestic action, “in Vancouver, Samidounn led a rally that celebrated October 7th. Where they chanted, Death to Canada, Death to the United States, and Death to Israel, where they also chanted, quote, ‘We are Hamas.’ “

Mr. Vuong asked rhetorically. “Why is this government allowing this to happen? Why is the Trudeau government allowing Samidoun to be a Canadian registered non-profit?” Indeed, Mr. Voung points out that this status means Samidoun benefits from exemptions from their income. He continued, “Put another way, the Trudeau government’s willful inaction (because inaction is a choice) is choosing to allow Canadian taxpayers to subsidize Samidoun’s hate propaganda, and I think it’s absolutely shameful.”

Mr. Vuong then made a call to action, “This is why I am proud to sponsor a petition to the House of Commons that demands that the Trudeau government not only ban Samidoun but that they also deport their leaders and they list Samidoun as a terror entity” (Note: since Mr. Vuong made these statements Samidoun has been listed as a terror entity, but its leaders have yet to face repercussions per his recommendation, as of the time of writing.)

MESSAGE TO CANADIANS:

MP Kevin Vuong left a final message, not just for the Jewish community, but to non-Jewish Canadians to stand against extremism. He said, “What we have seen with Samadoun is that people who hate Jews will also hate Hindus, will also hate Christians. They will also, they will also hate me for being Asian. So, if you have been silent till now, you have to stop. We can’t afford to be silent anymore. We have to draw a line in the sand, and we need to stand up, not only for our fellow Canadians but for our city and for our country.”

Mr. Vuong then called out the “so-called leaders like Mayor Oliva Chow in Toronto.” He decried her inaction, saying, “<she> was absent from yesterday’s vigil and rally. Where 20,000 Torontonians came together to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters, with our Israeli brothers and sisters, to recognize and remember those who were lost, but also to call with one voice for the immediate and unconditional release of the 101 Innocent people still being held, held hostage!”

He continued, asking people to empathize with the hostages and victims of Oct. 7th. “People who have been silent need to ask themselves, what if it was their family member? What if it was their sister, their grandparent, their child, their baby? Kfir Bibas was nine months old when he was kidnapped, and he’s been in captivity for over a year. He has spent more than half of his life as a hostage. What if that was your baby? Would you be silent?”

Lastly, Mr. Vuong redirected his attention back to the Jewish community, stating, “I hope Jewish Canadians know that while there may be days where it feels like they are alone –that they’ve been abandoned by their leaders– I want them to know that I have not, and, and that the majority of Canadians stand with them and I know perhaps not as many people are as outspoken as we would like, but we do stand with you, and I will continue to do everything that I can to create the space and the environment for other allies to feel comfortable.”

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Kevin Vuong is the MP for Spadina-Fort York in Toronto. For more information or to get in contact with Mr. Voung, visit his website: https://www.kevinvuong.com/