Not in Canada: Kach leader Baruch Marzel
Photo: Gali Tivon
Canada bans Kahane Chai
"Canada News" reports three organizations banned, first such action under new Prime Minister Paul Martin
Canada's parliament has banned the right-wing Kahane Chai organization and added it to the country's list of terror organizations.
The parliament also placed an Afghan organization that supports the Taliban, and a group that opposes the Islamic state in Iran on the list.
According to Canada's Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Department, "The Kahane Chai (Kach) organizes protests against the Israeli government, and harasses, threatens and assaults Arabs and Palestinians in the West Bank."
The Canadian parliament passed an anti-terrorism law following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. The law empowers lawmakers to outlaw terror organizations; so far, 38 groups have been placed on the list.
Supporters of banned groups can be subject to jail terms of up to 10 years.
Important step
The Department also said Kahane Chai's activities "include shouting down opponents, disturbing public speeches and engaging in physical confrontations with law enforcement officials. It has also threatened to attack Israeli government officials."
Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan said the move was an "important step" in Canada's war on terror, and said her country "is obliged to take all necessary stepst in order to bring terrorists to justice and to ensure they have no access to financial support."
The newly-banned anti-Iran organization, Mujahedin -e-Khalq, is the most controversial addition to the list, because it opposes the Iranian government, which also supports international terrorism.
The list has not been finalized.
