OTTAWA — Ansar Allah, the Yemen-based insurgency group better known as “the Houthis,” have been declared a terrorist organization by the government of Canada — nearly a year after the U.S. State Department made the same move.
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Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc made the announcement on Monday, saying they meet Canada’s definition of a terrorist group.
“Today’s addition of Ansarallah as a listed terrorist entity contributes to our efforts in fighting terrorism globally and aligning Canada with our allies,” LeBlanc said in a statement.
“Acts of violent extremism and terrorism have no place in the world and we will continue to take action to curtail the spread of these activities internationally and to counter threats to Canada, its citizens and its interests around the world.”
Monday’s move comes nearly two months after Canada added Vancouver-based SamidounPalestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network — an offshoot of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization — to its list of terror entities in the criminal code.
The push to add Ansar Allah to Canada’s terror lists was strongly advocated by B’nai Brith Canada, who told the Toronto Sun the move was long overdue.
“Canada’s decision to list the Houthis brings it in step with its allies and demonstrates our commitment to upholding international law,” Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Research and Advocacy, told the Toronto Sun.
“But it is important that this action be paired with changes to our domestic policies.”
In their recently-released 7-Point Plan for Combating Antisemitism in Canada, B’nai Brith urged the government to cease tolerating mass rallies in support of listed terrorist organizations, including the Houthis and Hamas.
“These gatherings, which glorify acts of terror and incite hate against the Jewish community, make a mockery of Canadian values,” Robertson said.
The federal Conservatives made a similar call in October.
The Houthis are conducting a campaign of attacking and hijacking civilian cargo ships in support of the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks against Israel, which saw Hamas conduct a genocidal campaign of murder, kidnapping and sexual assault against Israeli communities near Gaza.
Anti-Israel activists often fly flags belonging to the Houthis, along with Hamas, Hezbollah and Samidoun, at their rallies across Canada — and take public positions in support of these groups.
During a Jan. 2023 anti-Israel march in downtown Toronto, activists chanted “Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around.”
The flag of the Houthis consists of a number of Arabic phrases on a white background — “God Is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A curse upon the Jews, Victory to Islam.”
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