Hezbollah ban
complete
Canadian
Press Ottawa — 11.12.02:
The pro-Palestinian group Hezbollah has been banned from Canada following a special
cabinet committee meeting Tuesday evening, CTV News reported. The assets of Hezbollah have
been frozen as the group joins 13 others on a list of organizations whose activities are
banned in Canada, CTV said.
An order to ban the group was signed Tuesday, with a public announcement expected
Wednesday, the network said. Canada had already banned Hezbollah's military wing, but it
had not moved against the group's charitable arm. The move comes a week after its leader
called for a global suicide-bombing campaign. Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham said
last week the federal cabinet had planned to investigate such a ban.
In a recent speech in Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said
"martyrdom operations — suicide bombings — should be exported outside
Palestine." Ottawa has been under pressure from the opposition, lobby groups and
segments of the Liberal caucus to crack down on Hezbollah. RCMP and the Canadian Security
Intelligence Service report that Hezbollah has been using Canada as an offshore base for a
decade. Its money-making ventures reportedly include collecting charitable donations and
the theft of luxury vehicles in Ontario and Quebec, authorities say.