The headline of Sunday’s Ottawa Citizen is strange: “The ordeal is not over for Hassan Diab even after a French court sentenced to life in jail.” It is clear that the Citizen sympathizes with Diab despite the fact he was convicted of a very serious crime to warrant a life sentence in prison. This Citizen isn’t the only one.
Hassan Diab, the darling of the Leftist media and political establishment is the man who was convicted for the bombing at the Rue Copernic Synagogue during Shabbat service on October 3, 1980. Four people died and 46 were injured in the bombing of the Rue Copernic synagogue during Shabbat services on Oct. 3, 1980. Is the Left’s antisemitism a reason for the support that he received?
Diab, an Ottawa-based lecturer, did not attend his Paris trial and sneered at the proceedings. The state-funded CBC in Canada reported that he had “expressed his disappointment and described his situation as ‘Kafkaesque’.” He also added that “we hoped that reason would prevail” and that it was still “devastating to know that they pursued this biased road that led to the unfortunate outcome.”
Donald Bayne agreed and criticized the unfairness in the Paris proceedings: “The evidence proves he is innocent, yet they have convicted him. It’s political. It’s a wrongful conviction.” Perhaps. Diab, who has been convicted of crimes, insists on his innocence. Justin Trudeau is one of her many friends.
Randall Garrison (identified by the CBC as a “justice critic” of the New Democratic Party) declared that the “horrible conditions Dr. Diab endured over flimsy, discredited evidence violated and poisoned the proceedings.” New Democrats demand that the government stop any attempt by France to extradite Diab, stating that justice has not been served. Amnesty International criticized the case as “baseless” and “flawed.”
Yonathan Arfi, of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, was pleased with the verdict. He said, “After 43 years of judicial wandering justice has finally been served for this deadly, antisemitic assault.” All that remains is to enforce the arrest warrant. CRIF urges Canada to cooperate with French Justice.”
Trudeau responded, “We’ll look closely at the next steps. We’ll see what French courts and government decide to do.” When asked whether he would allow Diab to be extradited back to France to finish his sentence, Trudeau replied, “We’ll look carefully at the next steps. We will always stand up for Canadians’ rights. However, in this case, it is unclear if anyone else’s rights have been violated.
Diab has been accused of carrying out the bombing in his capacity as a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist group that is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. He was arrested in 2008, extradited to France in 2014, and released in 2018 after the judges ruled that there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute him. Many in France, however, believed that there was enough evidence to try him. CBC reports that “more than 20 civil societies groups in France – including victims of terrorism and pro-Israel organizations – opposed Diab’s freedom.” In 2021 France’s highest court ordered a hearing and stated that if Diab did not show up, he’d be tried absentia. Now he’s been found guilty.
Diab, for his part, “called Trudeau on to honor his words” when he pointed to the remarks Trudeau had made about his case in 2018, “when the prime minister stated that what happened to Diab shouldn’t have happened and shouldn’t happen again.”
He may very well do that. The old saying that you can learn a great deal about a person from his enemies is also true in reverse. You can also learn a great deal about a person from his friends. Amnesty International falsely accuses Israel of apartheid. Justin Trudeau is sending millions of dollars to “Palestinians” which ends up funding the jihad against Israel. He also claims that Islamic law and democracy are compatible. He is a Leftist who shares the fashionable Leftist view of the “Palestinian victim” while ignoring the hateful, even genocidal, statements made by “Palestinian leaders”.
Justin Trudeau would fight for Hassan Diab if he were an Israeli accused of bombing the mosque in France, then became a professor in Canada and was convicted after years, despite maintaining his innocence? The Canadian government would hint that they will fight for his extradition back to France. Trudeau’s actions, in this case, are almost inconceivable. He would not have condemned the offender and praised the justice system.
Hassan Diab enjoys the benefit of being a member of a political Leftist movement. He would not be the one lamenting “his ordeal” now if he wasn’t.