Canada is using its borders to police Palestine solidarity
Key takeaways
- Critics of Israel’s war on Gaza are increasingly facing interrogations, visa revocations and denials of entry.
- MAC said many had their electronic travel authorisations delayed for months or cancelled shortly before departure, while others had visas revoked without notice.
- Rasool later told me the Canadian questioning reminded him of apartheid-era interrogations, albeit in a far softer and less openly coercive form.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Critics of Israel’s war on Gaza are increasingly facing interrogations, visa revocations and denials of entry.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo People march in downtown Toronto to protest Israeli actions in Gaza, on August 16, 2025 in Ontario, Canada. [Mert Alper Dervış/Anadolu]This past weekend, international scholars and speakers invited to the Muslim Association of Canada’s (MAC) annual convention in Toronto reportedly faced extraordinary immigration scrutiny. MAC said many had their electronic travel authorisations delayed for months or cancelled shortly before departure, while others had visas revoked without notice. Several were reportedly interrogated for hours at Toronto Pearson Airport, denied water and refused a space to pray. MAC described the treatment as “deliberate and coordinated”.
Among those affected was former South African ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool, a veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle who was himself expelled by the Trump administration earlier this year after publicly criticising the MAGA movement. Rasool later told me the Canadian questioning reminded him of apartheid-era interrogations, albeit in a far softer and less openly coercive form. British Muslim commentator Anas Altikriti reportedly spent 11 hours under questioning before ultimately abandoning efforts to enter Canada.