A senior advisor to a Liberal cabinet minister shared an Instagram post condoning Palestinian “revolutionary violence” and using a hashtag calling for the destruction of Israel.
Brandon Montour, who is listed as a senior legal affairs advisor to Liberal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree on the federal government’s employee directory, also shared a post supporting Palestinian liberation through “whatever means necessary.”
The sharing of the posts came amid unprecedented Hamas attacks on Israel that have so far killed more than 600 Israeli soldiers and civilians and kidnapped 100 hostages, including children and seniors – with one senior Israeli official calling it “our 9/11.” Terrorists fired thousands of rockets and dozens of Palestinian gunmen infiltrated Israeli territory on Saturday.
The same day, Montour shared an Instagram post saying “revolutionary violence is not terrorism. It’s a fight for liberation.” The post was shared from a “Marxist-Leninist, Proletarian feminist” account.
The post contained three other images, including one of Hamas terrorists capturing Israeli soldiers and one that read “resistance doesn’t happen only by violence, but violence is the mainstream.”
The post had the caption “Go Palestine” and the hashtags #destroyisrael, #destroyimperialism, #destroycolonialism, #freepalestine and #revolution.
Montour also shared a post from a Palestinian liberation group that called for people to “support Palestinian Resistance from Al-Quds to Gaza.” Behind the text is an image of rockets being launched.
“Supporting Palestinian liberation is supporting whatever means necessary it takes to get there,” the post said. “Freedom has only ever been achieved through resistance. After over 75 years of ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide, how could anyone expect anything else from Palestinians but resistance?”
The post then reiterated the “any means necessary” call to action.
“From Jerusalem, to Gaza, to ‘48, to the West Bank, to the camps, to everywhere where Palestinian refugees currently live in exile, we must defend the Palestinian right to resist zionist settler violence and support Palestinian resistance in all its forms. By any means necessary. With no exceptions and no fine print.”
Montour did not respond to several requests for comment by True North. However, shortly after True North reached out to him, his LinkedIn page was deleted.
The views expressed in the posts shared by Montour are contrary to the position taken by Canada’s Liberal government, which has denounced Hamas’ attacks on Israel as terrorism.
Anandasangaree, as well as Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, issued statements condemning Hamas and showing solidarity with Israel following the attacks.
“Canada strongly condemns the current terrorist attacks against Israel,” Trudeau wrote in a statement Saturday. “These acts of violence are completely unacceptable. We stand with Israel and fully support its right to defend itself. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this. Civilian life must be protected.”
These remarks were echoed by Anandasangaree.
“I unequivocally condemn the terrorist attacks against Israel by Hamas,” Anandasangaree wrote on X (formerly Twitter). These acts of senseless violence against civilians are completely unacceptable and must stop.”
Anandasangaree’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
