Mississauga’s mayor has said the municipality will not rent space to any group that exhibits hatred, following reports of an event being planned by an Islamic group that has been designated a terrorist organization by the UK.
Mayor Carolyn Parrish made the comment in a Jan. 3 social media post in response to reports that a conference by the group is scheduled in the Ontario city for Jan. 18.
“The City will refuse access to groups exhibiting ‘contempt or hatred’ in any form and can remove permits should such behaviour be reported,” she wrote.
The conference is being promoted by Hizb ut Tahrir Canada. The group says it works to “refute the corrupt foundation of liberal democracy and the erroneous thoughts that emanate from it, and ”gather support for the project of reviving the Khilafah in the Muslim lands.”
The Mississauga conference is titled ‘The Khilafah: Eliminating the Obstacles That Are Delaying Its Return.” The khilafah, or caliphate, is a political-religious state that symbolizes global Islamic unity.
The UK government has designated Hizb ut-Tahrir a terrorist organization.
“Hizb ut-Tahrir is an antisemitic organisation that actively promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling 7 October attacks,” former British Home Secretary James Cleverly said in a Jan. 15 statement.
There is currently no public indication where the group’s event is scheduled to take place. Details will be emailed to those who register, according to the EventBrite page of the event.
Independent MP Kevin Vuoung has raised questions about how the group is permitted to operate in Canada.
“Countries have designated Hizb ut-Tahrir a terrorist group, why are they allowed to host a conference in Mississauga,” he wrote in a Jan. 3 post on the X platform.
