Yves Engler is a name familiar to many who oppose Israel’s genocide of the residents of Gaza. He has long been a voice of reason, working hard, not only to draw attention to Israel’s war crimes, but also to vocally criticize extremists within the Zionist community.
In a Kafkaesque development, on February 20, 2025, Engler was arrested and charged with harassing anti-Palestinian media figure Dahlia Kurtz on X (formally Twitter). Writing critically about these charges then resulted in him being further charged with harassing a Montreal police officer. He has been charged with harassment and obstruction of justice.
Here are the facts:
Dahlia Kurtz is a prolific writer and communicator who is notable for her strong and vocal support for and defense of Israel’s apartheid and genocide. Here is just one example of what she has posted on X, “…they (Palestinians) always choose mayhem, violence, and destruction. That’s what makes them happy”. She regularly posts racist and other hateful things to stoke the flames and demonize Palestinians, even children. She criticizes police for not laying hate-crime charges against pro-Palestinian protesters. Non-violent peaceful protestors concerned about the massive destruction and death toll in Gaza should be criminally charged according to Kurtz.
Yves Engler has a long history as a left-wing activist and author with a major focus on Canadian foreign policy and international peacemaking. In describing his approach, he has written, “To struggle against economic and political systems that make a few people wealthy while dangerously warming the planet, to end war and forms of destruction and oppression requires commitment, passion and the willingness to make the powerful angry”.
Engler has been openly critical of pro-Jewish protesters and media that defends the mass killings of Palestinian people in Gaza. He has admitted to being critical of Kurtz and in relation to the charges, agrees that he had described Kurtz as a “genocide” supporter and “fascist” on X.
Engler has been arrested because Kurtz lodged a harassment complaint against him. In responding, while saying that he had commented on posts she had made on X, Engler stated, “I’ve never met Kurtz. Nor have I messaged or emailed her. Nor have I threatened her. I don’t even follow her on X (Twitter’s algorithm puts her posts in my feed).”
Kurtz is being represented by a law firm linked to litigation lawyer Neil Oberman, a Conservative candidate in the upcoming federal election. It has been noted that Oberman has been involved in multiple lawsuits against critics of Israel. This tactic has been referred to as Lawfare – using or misusing the law to achieve a political objective.
In my opinion, by no stretch of the imagination could Engler’s writings be considered criminal harassment and the police should never have filed charges. Under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, there is a fundamental right to “freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” Engler’s comments are clearly protected under the Charter.
On February 24th, Yves Engler Was Released On Bail with some conditions, including not contacting or tagging the complainant on social media. He was released with no restrictions on his ability to discuss the charges against him.
The Canadian Foreign Policy Institute has organized a campaign to free Yves Engler and encourages individuals to email the Montreal police chief and mayor, asking that they drop all charges. If you oppose lawfare and believe in common sense, please write.
Daily atmospheric CO2 [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]
Latest daily total (February 26, 2025): 426.88ppm
One year ago (February 26, 2024): 425.40ppm
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