Ontario MPP Goldie Ghamari has said she wasn’t aware of a controversial British activist’s history when taking a FaceTime meeting with him.
Goldie Ghamari deleted a post from X with screenshot from a virtual meeting she had with anti-mass immigration activist Tommy Robinson during his stay in Canada.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims called on Premier Doug Ford to kick the Iranian-Canadian MPP for Carleton out of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative caucus after speaking with Robinson, who they accuse of being “Islamophobic.”
“MPP Ghamari yesterday decided to post with herself and well-known Islamophobe and criminal Tommy Robinson,” the NCCM said, calling the meeting “completely unacceptable.”
“I condemn all forms of Islamophobia and Antisemitism. Hate has no place in Ontario,” Ghamari said on X after deleting her initial post. “I was not aware of Mr. Robinson’s history prior to our meeting.”
True North asked what aspects of Robinson’s history Ghamari opposed, but did not receive a reply.
Ghamari, who was born in Iran, explained on X that their meeting was about the human rights violations taking place by the Islamic Regime in Iran and the regime’s alleged attempts to spy on and intimidate the Iranian diaspora in Canada.
“We discussed IRGC terrorists, its impact in Canada, and the 6-year effort of the Iranian-Canadian diaspora to put the IRGC on the Canadian terror list,” she said. “I hope that clarifies!”
In a statement, Doug Ford’s office said he was “extremely disappointed” for giving a platform to Robinson “whose behaviour and beliefs are at odds with our government.”
Ford said the meeting was “deeply regrettable,” and the post was taken down as soon as the PC government was made aware of it.
Robinson founded the English Defence League in the United Kingdom. He stepped down after recognizing it had become home to violent extremist actors. He said he wanted to pursue “democratic ideas” rather than violence in light of the arrests.
Ghamari’s apology came a day after Robinson was arrested after speaking in Calgary Tuesday. The Canadian Border Services Agency made the arrest and indicated that it was related to an “outstanding immigration warrant.” Robinson was released on conditions, including that he not leave southern Alberta and thus has been unable to continue his speaking tour.
This isn’t the first time the NCCM has called on Ford to remove Ghamari from his PC caucus for her social media activity.
The NCCM took issue with her reposting what it called “insults against women who wear the hijab” when she said the hijab was a “symbol of the subjugation of women throughout the Islamic world.”
Before the apology, Ghamari highlighted what she viewed to be a double standard in the arrest of Robinson on Monday and the lack of action being applied to men who support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“So let me get this straight…Canada arrests Tommy Robinson, but allows this IRGC terrorist supporter who constantly breaches his bail obligations to dress up in Islamic Regime clothes and threaten politicians like me with zero consequences?” she wrote.
The man has been seen throwing up threatening hand signs and brandishing IRGC attire.
The Canadian government recently listed the military branch of the Islamic Regime in Iran as a terrorist entity. Despite not having charges laid against him, Robinson is still being prevented from leaving southern Alberta during what was supposed to be a multi-city speaking tour.
