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Former Hamas hostage condemns anti-Israel protest blocking Canadian speaking event
Former Hamas hostage condemns anti-Israel protest blocking Canadian speaking event

National Post

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • National Post

Former Hamas hostage condemns anti-Israel protest blocking Canadian speaking event

A Hamas captivity survivor on a speaking tour in Canada this month said she won't 'let terror sympathizers control the narrative' after anti-Israel demonstrators allegedly blocked the exit of her venue last week. Article content Noa Argamani, 27, was in Windsor, Ont., as part of a Jewish National Fund (JNF) fundraising event at the University of Windsor, which reportedly attracted members of the school's Palestinian Solidarity Group. Article content On Saturday, Argamani shared an X post from FactsMatter describing the activists surrounding the building, 'blocking the only entrance and shouting at the Jewish attendees. In a brief video clip attached, a voice is heard shouting, 'Hamas is coming.' Article content Article content Hamas came. Hamas kidnapped me. Hamas murdered my friends. But I won; I survived. Now, I speak for those who can't. I'll keep exposing Hamas' crimes and fighting for the hostages' release—including my partner, Avinatan. I refuse to let terror sympathizers control the narrative. — Noa Argamani (@ArgamaniNoa) June 28, 2025 Article content The logo and username in the clip indicate it was a live broadcast from an account operated by the PSG. National Post is attempting to independently verify the source. Article content 'Hamas came. Hamas kidnapped me. Hamas murdered my friends. But I won; I survived,' wrote Argamani, who spent 245 days in captivity after being abducted from the Nova music festival during the terrorist organization's Oct. 7, 2023, insurgency. Article content The university student's abduction and that of her partner, Or Avinatan, were captured on video and released by Hamas on social media. Argamani was also seen in subsequent propaganda videos. Article content Article content She was rescued in June 2024, but Avinatan remains in captivity. He is listed in a medical report detailing the condition of living hostages released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in June, per The Times of Israel, and described as suffering from weight loss and mental struggles. Article content 'I'll keep exposing Hamas' crimes and fighting for the hostages' release—including my partner, Avinatan,' wrote Argamani, who's been a prominent advocate for her fellow captives since finding freedom. Article content Article content Argamani was speaking at a Negev Event, named for the large desert region in southern Israel, where the goal was to raise money for the Ashdod Rehabilitation & Therapy Centre, 'a vital project that will serve trauma victims, children with disabilities, and pediatric cancer patients in southern Israel,' according to JNF. Article content Article content 'When Canadian campuses become no-go zones for Jews, when terror victims can't share their stories without facing mob intimidation, you're witnessing the normalisation of antisemitism,' she wrote. Article content The outlet also confirmed via the Windsor Police Service, who 'monitored the situation and ensured public safety,' that it was treated as a protest and no arrests were made. Article content

19-year-old newcomer to Canada graduates from University of Windsor after starting degree at 15
19-year-old newcomer to Canada graduates from University of Windsor after starting degree at 15

CBC

time07-06-2025

  • General
  • CBC

19-year-old newcomer to Canada graduates from University of Windsor after starting degree at 15

As post-secondary educational institutions in southwestern Ontario hold their spring convocation ceremonies, one student is celebrating a particularly significant achievement. At just 19 years old, Richard Nonso has graduated from the University of Windsor with an honours degree in computer science and a gold medallion in the university's LEAD Medallion Scholars Program, which honours leadership, engagement, research and internship and co-op work outside the classroom. He enrolled in the university when he was 15 after emigrating to Canada from Nigeria with his family. "It feels great," he told Amy Dodge on CBC's Windsor Morning. "I'm very excited to finally walk across the stage. There's been a lot of sacrifice and effort and support from people around me like my dad, my mom, friends, family. So I feel very accomplished knowing that the people around me are proud of what I've accomplished." Nonso is one of hundreds of students who are walking across stages to collect their degrees and diplomas this month. The University of Windsor wraps up its ceremonies on Friday, according to its website. Lambton College holds its convocation on June 17, and St. Clair College is holding a series of ceremonies through June 18. Nonso's father called himself a "proud dad" and said his eldest son serves as an example for his younger siblings. While at school, Nonso began working on a project to expose young members of underrepresented groups to careers in technology, he said. Now he's living in Toronto, working for a media technology company, and planning to continue his studies this fall by pursuing a master's degree at the University of Toronto. He says it may sound like a cliché but he hopes that people who hear his story will learn that anything is possible as long as they put their minds to it. "As long as you're interested and put in the work, it's possible to achieve a high fit," he said. This year's convocation ceremonies at the University of Windsor were notable for another reason too: there was a different chancellor shaking the hands of the graduates. Mary Jo Haddad passed the torch to Dwight Duncan earlier this week after becoming the first female chancellor at the school six years ago. "I am absolutely enjoying my moment," she told CBC Windsor Morning. The chancellor role is ceremonial and involves overseeing convocation, spending time with students and trying to inspire the next generation, Haddad said. But everyone tries to make a difference in their own way. "For me, I tried to spend a lot of my time advocating for leadership, supporting leadership development of students and engaging them in what's potentially possible, in that role," she said. Haddad said it's a thrill to be on stage with each graduating student, knowing that many of them have overcome adversity to make it to that place. "There was an international student who was at her own convocation, by herself, no family there," she said. "She came up, she was anxious, she looked at me, she was teary-eyed, and she just said, 'Thank you so much for inviting me to Canada. Thank you so much for having me, can I hug you?'" Asked if she had any advice for new Chancellor Duncan, Haddad said she hopes the school will continue to invest in leadership for the future.

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