Charlotte Kates of Designated Terrorist Group Samidoun Praises Resistance in Interview at Nasrallah’s Gravesite
Executive Summary
Charlotte Kates, international coordinator of Samidoun—the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (PPSN), which is officially designated as a terrorist organization by Canada, the United States, and Germany—gave an exclusive interview to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar media while visiting the gravesite of the late Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. Speaking from Beirut, Kates praised the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, called for escalation of global resistance against imperialism, and cited figures from Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) as ideological inspirations. Kates, who was previously arrested in Canada for hate speech related to glorifying terrorism, remains a vocal proponent of violent “armed struggle” in support of Palestinian liberation.
Analysis
The interview with Al-Manar, a media arm of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hezbollah, highlights Kates’ ideological alignment with radical militant groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the PFLP. Speaking in reverence at Nasrallah’s gravesite, she discussed her early admiration for Hezbollah’s leadership and the influence of resistance ideologies on her activism. Kates tied her support for Palestinian armed struggle to a broader anti-imperialist framework, directly identifying the United States as “the head of the snake,” quoting PFLP founder George Habash.
Kates openly referenced Hamas military commander Muhammad Deif, calling him a martyr and endorsing his claim that the October 7 attacks would “change the world.” She described prisoner exchanges between Israel and Palestinian groups as signs of military strength and moral superiority of the resistance, and she encouraged Western activists to move beyond ceasefire demands and instead “escalate” the global resistance.
The interview adds to Kates’ long-documented record of promoting and glorifying designated terrorist organizations. Her organization, Samidoun, has been identified by multiple governments as a front for the PFLP, responsible for spreading terrorist propaganda, inciting violence, and funneling resources to extremist groups. The group’s rhetoric, including slogans like “Death to Israel” and “Death to Canada,” has triggered security investigations and legal action in various Western countries.
Her presence in Beirut—where her husband, Khaled Barakat, a sanctioned terrorist and PFLP leader, currently resides—further reinforces her active coordination with globally sanctioned terrorist networks.
