Rebel News Podcast - EZRA LEVANT ｜ Our women’s rights billboard truck triggered a hate-crime investigation

00:00:00.000 Hey folks, do you love a good cup of coffee? Are you, like me, banned for life from visiting Tim

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00:01:04.700 and this is the coffee to brew rebel news i don't want to point you started filming me

00:01:12.840 i'm feeling unsafe don't call me sir and i don't want to talk to you at all what's your problem

00:01:17.640 with the truck. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can't take me. Someone called the police for this. I mean,

00:01:23.540 everyone's entitled to public opinion. Shame on you, you censorious bug. 0.98

00:01:40.360 Ezra Levant here for Rebel News. I'm standing in front of our big, beautiful

00:01:43.880 billboard truck, which has such a lovely message on it. For the last few days, we've been running

00:01:48.980 an ad for a girls' rights movement called Cosbar. That's the name of the advertiser, Canadian women's

00:01:57.080 sex-based rights organization. Women and girls deserve safety on the field, privacy and dignity

00:02:02.880 in the locker room, and fairness on the podium. It's a gorgeous ad. In fact, we drove the truck

00:02:09.060 downtown toronto there was a big ball game going on and it was on the soccer final so there was a

00:02:14.280 ton of sports aficionados on the street and this truck was so well received so we kept the message

00:02:20.460 on just because we like those guys and our truck driver was here on st clair ab in toronto and he

00:02:26.080 was about to drive away and then a cop said whoa stop don't go why what happened well our truck

00:02:33.000 driver mark called me immediately mark come on over you called me i raced down here tell me what

00:02:41.300 happened you were about to drive our big beautiful billboard truck away you drive you put thousands

00:02:45.220 of miles on that thing but a cop said no tens of thousands cops said don't go why you weren't

00:02:50.980 parked illegally you weren't doing anything wrong what was going on so i was just basically driving

00:02:55.140 along here in a perfect parking spot like in this you know right by the pole the last parking spot

00:03:00.500 you know available legally right by the bus stop and I had to use the washroom I wanted to get a

00:03:06.080 coffee a little something to eat so I parked went in about I would say 15 minutes later I come back

00:03:11.960 out and I noticed there's a one cop car sitting behind the truck and there's a gentleman Asian

00:03:17.620 looking gentleman standing there on the sidewalk talking to him I didn't think it had anything to

00:03:22.840 do with the truck I thought maybe you know something had gone on that I didn't see or who

00:03:27.400 knows right so i just get in the truck to casually drive away i put the engine on i see the cop get

00:03:33.140 out come toward my window and he says to me um don't go anywhere the truck has to stay here

00:03:39.760 you're being investigated for a hate crime a hate crime is that the words he used the words he used

00:03:45.240 did he use it did he get any more particular or specific than that he just said that it's a hate

00:03:49.540 crime and that we have to investigate so oh my god so there was one car now a second car arrives

00:03:55.420 too this obviously is a policing priority there's a crime wave in toronto right now home invasions

00:04:00.720 tons of auto theft gun gangland shooting but apparently two cop cars are needed at one point

00:04:06.700 it was three actually oh my god three cop cars well you know they were taken off of less important

00:04:11.260 work like home invasions so did the cops ask you any questions did they ask you about the truck

00:04:17.820 what did they say to you he didn't even ask me for my id or driver's license or anything he he

00:04:23.400 just said that you're being investigated for a hate crime and we have to investigate it's not

00:04:26.940 funny it was obviously in reference to the the message on the truck yes okay now you called me

00:04:32.080 and I'm really glad you did I was about 40 minutes away I got in my car and I raced down here but I

00:04:38.560 told my colleagues including Efron Monsanto and Lincoln Jay they came here a lot quicker than me

00:04:44.920 because they were about 20 minutes closer let me call in Lincoln and have him fill in the rest of

00:04:49.820 the story mark i'm so glad you called lincoln uh you and efron were about 20 minutes away

00:04:55.520 so you got here pretty quick tell me what you saw when you arrived basically we pulled up parked

00:05:01.560 across the street came over two police cars uh were behind the truck and uh you know me and efron

00:05:08.420 and i came over started filming and you know we're filming the police cars just getting some footage

00:05:12.980 did you talk to them yet or are you just filming no they were inside the car and then as we're

00:05:17.500 filming the police cars the individual who allegedly called the police started filming us

00:05:23.540 and asking us what we're doing and what did you say basically we didn't really say anything and

00:05:28.160 then when we started pointing the camera at him he starts getting really upset that we're filming

00:05:33.080 him runs to the police start saying he feels unsafe he's basically like begging them to come

00:05:38.860 out police come out the police are kind of like what's the issue here and the police tell the

00:05:45.080 gentlemen they have every right to film which is pretty awesome that they said

00:05:49.400 that do you want my name I don't know why are you playing I can tell you my

00:05:54.440 name I don't want to play you started filming me you started filming me yeah

00:06:02.400 because you were filming them so why are you worried police or so I'm feeling

00:06:11.540 I'm feeling unsafe. I'm feeling unsafe.

00:06:20.980 Oh, okay, I'll just do it back to you. It's all good.

00:06:36.340 Hello. How are you? Good. Yourself?

00:06:38.580 My name's Lincoln Jay, I work with Rebel News.

00:06:48.580 Efren, I work for Rebel News as well.

00:06:51.580 They're allowed to tape you, it's a public space.

00:06:55.580 Are they allowed to tape my face?

00:06:57.580 It's a public space.

00:06:58.580 Wow, okay.

00:06:59.580 Basically, he kept saying he felt unsafe, he felt unsafe.

00:07:02.580 He's like, protect me, protect me.

00:07:04.580 From what?

00:07:05.580 Yeah, exactly.

00:07:07.580 Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can't tape me.

00:07:10.700 You're in public. I can tape you if I want.

00:07:13.120 And then the police bring him over to the grass here.

00:07:15.380 They asked us kindly, just, you know, give us space for a minute, which is fine.

00:07:18.420 They walked over about 10, 15 feet, and you can hear the guy, like, begging the police to do something, right?

00:07:23.660 After the police, I guess, told them there's no hate crime here, go on with your day.

00:07:28.060 Did the police interact with you and Efron at all?

00:07:31.920 Not really, other than saying we have every right to film.

00:07:34.660 and afterwards the police actually asked if you were coming,

00:07:38.720 which is quite funny.

00:07:40.100 Did they want to arrest me or meet me?

00:07:42.520 I think they wanted to meet you, actually.

00:07:44.180 Edward's not going to show up?

00:07:46.000 He's on his way, yeah.

00:07:47.980 You know, the cop actually seemed like a good guy.

00:07:50.060 They both seemed like they were, you know,

00:07:52.480 doing their job properly and defending free speech, actually.

00:07:55.580 Sir.

00:07:56.440 Don't call me sir, and I don't want to talk to you at all.

00:07:58.840 What's your problem with the truck?

00:08:01.780 What's the problem with the message?

00:08:03.600 Why did you call the police?

00:08:04.660 I'm right here. The scout's right here. 0.55

00:08:07.660 Sir.

00:08:08.660 Yeah, like I said, we've investigated it.

00:08:10.660 Yeah.

00:08:11.660 And, yeah, it's just a political statement.

00:08:13.660 Yeah.

00:08:14.660 And, yeah, there's no hate crime.

00:08:16.660 Thank you.

00:08:17.660 Can we let him know?

00:08:19.660 Cool.

00:08:20.660 And you can let your driver know. All is good.

00:08:21.660 Thanks, man.

00:08:22.660 Okay.

00:08:23.660 Alright, drive safe.

00:08:24.660 The police officer just told us that it's simply a political message.

00:08:28.660 It's not a hate crime or whatever the gentleman that I'm assuming called the police insinuated.

00:08:36.740 So he was obviously upset.

00:08:37.980 I could hear him talking to the police, you know, asking if it's a hate crime, etc.

00:08:42.280 And obviously he didn't like the message on the truck.

00:08:45.180 And now he's in the back of the police car.

00:08:47.440 But I think they're just driving him home if I overheard correctly.

00:08:50.200 I was coming down fearing the worst.

00:08:52.860 In fact, in the car on the way down, I called our criminal lawyer, Leora Shemesh, who's defended us before.

00:08:58.360 And I and I said, we may be in a hate crime situation with the truck.

00:09:03.200 And she said, I'll represent you.

00:09:04.720 So I I wanted to come down sort of armed and ready, not armed physically, but armed legally.

00:09:09.500 So when I got here, it looks like, as you say, the cops humored the guy once he calmed out.

00:09:16.480 You know, I understand they actually gave him a ride home.

00:09:19.900 Is that right?

00:09:20.700 Yeah, he went into the back of the police car, which I'm assuming is because he felt, quote unquote, unsafe.

00:09:25.540 So the world is an unsafe place.

00:09:26.940 Let's be honest.

00:09:27.600 I heard the police say that they were giving him a ride home, so that's the reason that he was there.

00:09:31.920 But, you know, the whole situation is just quite hilarious.

00:09:34.580 The guy, I want to emphasize, the guy starts filming us, we start filming him,

00:09:38.820 and then he's basically scared that we're filming him after he's filming us and runs to the cops.

00:09:43.500 It's quite funny.

00:09:44.240 Who would be mad about that news, that ad, other than someone who demands the right to go into?

00:09:51.720 I mean, I don't know who this guy is, but how on earth could you get mad at this message?

00:09:55.900 He's the one who's out of sync.

00:09:57.720 And, you know, I'm glad to hear that the cops were reasonable.

00:10:00.180 And Mark just said they didn't demand ID from him.

00:10:03.020 They didn't give him, you know, a warning.

00:10:04.960 They didn't give him a ticket.

00:10:06.360 I was worried.

00:10:07.300 In my mind, I thought, oh, brother, because we've had this truck going full tilt for a couple years now.

00:10:12.480 I thought today is today.

00:10:13.800 But it sounds like the cops really were just handling a troublemaker.

00:10:19.820 And it sounds like in the end they didn't really do any bad stuff to us other than making us wait a few minutes.

00:10:26.420 Would you say that's accurate?

00:10:27.660 Oh, yeah, 100%.

00:10:28.380 And we had the same feeling, Efron and I, when we were driving over.

00:10:30.960 We didn't really know what to expect, you know, after Mark contacted the team

00:10:34.380 and let them know that the police pulled him over.

00:10:36.320 But, you know, as you said earlier, like, who would be upset with this message?

00:10:40.080 And we tried to talk to some people walking by, get their opinions on it.

00:10:42.900 We got one gentleman to chime in, and he said, what's the problem?

00:10:46.840 It's a political message, you know, and it's a waste of police resources.

00:10:50.260 Someone called the police for this?

00:10:51.800 I mean, everyone's entitled to public opinion.

00:10:54.240 I mean, you're entitled to your opinion.

00:10:56.180 I'm entitled to mine.

00:10:57.200 They're entitled to theirs.

00:10:59.020 As long as you're not harming anybody, I think it's fine.

00:11:01.620 Yeah, do you think it's a bit extreme that somebody would actually call the police

00:11:04.740 because of this message, simply saying that men should not be competing in women's sports? 0.98

00:11:11.020 Yeah, 100%.

00:11:11.840 I mean, you're not here harming anybody.

00:11:13.860 The police is here to protect the general public.

00:11:16.740 You're here on the side of the road, so I don't know if you're harming anybody.

00:11:20.020 So it should be all good.

00:11:21.420 It's kind of a waste of police resources, no?

00:11:23.460 No, 100%.

00:11:24.460 Oh, remind our viewers, and I don't know if you know this, Lincoln.

00:11:27.420 We used to rent these billboard trucks.

00:11:30.120 And renting is a good way to go because you can choose the city.

00:11:33.480 You don't have to drive it across.

00:11:34.740 Like, we drove this thing.

00:11:35.800 Mark drove this thing all the way out to Alberta.

00:11:37.660 Like, imagine that.

00:11:38.780 It would have been, in some ways, I mean, we did a lot of work there.

00:11:42.060 But my point is we used to rent from this town, from that town.

00:11:45.640 But when it came to talking about Hamas terrorists in Canada,

00:11:50.660 none of the trucking companies wanted to rent to us. 0.81

00:11:52.860 And they said, we don't disagree with your message.

00:11:55.200 We're afraid our truck will be attacked.

00:11:58.140 Our drivers are afraid they'll be attacked.

00:12:01.240 It's not that we're against you, Ezra.

00:12:02.660 We just don't want to have our big, beautiful trucks broken.

00:12:05.920 So that is why we got the truck to stop being censored.

00:12:11.380 This is an anti-censorship vehicle.

00:12:13.740 It's what it really is.

00:12:14.840 It's the only reason to buy it.

00:12:16.100 If this had been a rented truck company, 1.00

00:12:19.540 they probably would have been scared of that transgender activist. 1.00

00:12:22.860 even though he sounds quite pitiful 0.91

00:12:25.080 they would have been scared of the

00:12:26.620 like you would never see this ad on a

00:12:28.920 billboard in town. Yeah and honestly

00:12:31.060 like I said earlier the cops

00:12:32.440 they seem like they were you know on the

00:12:34.960 right side of the law obviously by

00:12:36.800 not doing anything here but I feel like

00:12:38.620 potentially if you got the wrong police

00:12:40.760 officer this could end up

00:12:42.580 with a totally different outcome. You are

00:12:44.860 so right if you had some DEI cop 0.61

00:12:46.920 or there's actually a transgender 1.00

00:12:48.540 cop car. I don't know if you saw this

00:12:50.680 Lincoln it was a viral video

00:12:52.140 a couple months ago of a guy who pulls up next to the trans police car.

00:12:57.400 There's a Toronto Police Service police car in the trans colors,

00:13:00.740 and there was some transgender person in it.

00:13:03.200 I thought this was so funny.

00:13:04.720 The guy who was filming rolled down his window and said,

00:13:08.460 are you a police car, or do you just identify as a police car?

00:13:14.220 Take a look at this video.

00:13:15.380 That's a funny joke to come up with in the spur of the moment.

00:13:18.100 Take a look.

00:13:18.540 are you guys cops or you just identify as cops

00:13:22.620 i'm not sure how that ended but it wouldn't surprise me if he got

00:13:28.100 charged for a hate crime for making a funny joke about i'll have to look that up but in 2026 if you

00:13:37.180 cross the trans activists get ready to be sued and prosecuted and so i'm glad it wasn't a tough

00:13:45.160 test today but we passed the test and all credit goes to mark our truck driver who didn't blink and

00:13:51.080 he knew what to do call for backup efron thanks very much for for hopping to i called you on my

00:13:56.840 way down and you came here i'm really glad you moved quickly because by the time i got here the

00:14:01.160 cops were gone you heard mark and lincoln tell the tale was there anything they left out you know

00:14:07.240 from first experience just from filming immediately what happened is that as a response from us

00:14:11.880 filming the officers in the first place he came to the defense of the officers

00:14:15.400 asking why are you filming them why are you the complainer didn't want you talking to the cops

00:14:19.000 they didn't want us to for whatever reason film the officers in their cars and see what's going

00:14:22.600 on just for our viewers to know what exactly is going on and the second thing i'd like to bring

00:14:26.200 up today it's kind of causal concerning is that the fact that you know everyone can make a complaint

00:14:30.440 everyone has their political views and opinions but the fact that an officer used their discretion

00:14:34.840 to immediately call to action and pull over mark or stop the truck and investigate immediately for

00:14:40.040 a hate crime that is very concerning extremely concerning whether it's the passing of bill c9

00:14:44.600 currently now maybe it's a change of police work but you know if everyone's sort of making

00:14:48.840 complaints about what they feel like is a hate crime towards them what's the point of policing

00:14:52.360 at that point you know that's a good point perhaps i was too gentle on the police i do note they did

00:14:57.560 they didn't ticket mark they didn't grill him they didn't even demand his id so i don't want to

00:15:04.600 overreact but by the same token can i stop any car out there that offends my politics

00:15:11.960 put yourself in the cop shoes though maybe they would have got a complaint with internal affairs 0.87

00:15:17.160 if they didn't serve this there's such a transgender lobby it wouldn't surprise me 0.95

00:15:22.200 that they were going through these motions knowing it was all bs just to avoid some complaint it's a 0.97

00:15:28.680 pickle. I accept your point. Were these cops motivated to stop our vehicle by the fact that

00:15:35.500 they know censorship is on the march? We'll run this truck a little bit longer just as a thumbs

00:15:40.600 up to them and as an act of defiance for that hassle today. If you love this truck, if you have

00:15:47.940 a political message or does it have to be politics, most users of these trucks are companies. I was

00:15:54.660 talking to a guy who owned a truck he had a month-long contract I think it was

00:15:58.800 with Sprite like the the soda pop so this truck is a wow factor it's got a

00:16:05.580 big beautiful screen it's even more amazing at night because it's so high

00:16:09.480 powered so if you want to turn lemons into lemonade there's no legal battle

00:16:14.400 of foot here we managed to get out of it pretty easily but if you want to sign

00:16:18.500 up for this truck, you can do that at savethetruck.com.

00:16:32.800 A prominent organizer of pro-Hamas protests in Toronto has been charged with a serious

00:16:38.980 terrorism-related offense, according to an official statement released by the Toronto

00:16:43.620 Police Service.

00:16:44.480 scarlet grace with rebel news the toronto police working jointly with the rcmp's integrated

00:16:51.680 national security enforcement team inset has charged 33 year old amad hassan hajimad who is

00:16:59.380 also widely known as amad gerard with one count of participating in or contributing to the

00:17:05.940 activities of a terrorist group under section 83.18 of the criminal code police allege that on may

00:17:13.160 25th and September 7th, 2024, Hajimad attended pro-Palestine demonstrations in the Bay Street

00:17:20.000 and Front Street West area of downtown Toronto. There, using amplification devices, he made public

00:17:26.720 statements that advocated for the detestation and harm against members of the Israeli and Jewish

00:17:32.820 communities. On March 7th, 2025, investigators executed a search warrant at a Toronto residence

00:17:39.680 and seized multiple electronic devices.

00:17:42.580 A subsequent joint investigation gathered evidence supporting the allegation

00:17:48.020 that the accused acted for the benefit of and in association with Hamas,

00:17:54.620 a group Canada has long designated as a terrorist entity since 2002.

00:18:00.380 On July 20th, 2026, the Attorney General of Ontario and the Government of Canada

00:18:05.960 provided consent to proceed with the charge.

00:18:09.380 The next day, July 21st, Hajimad was arrested.

00:18:13.960 He appeared in court that morning at the Ontario Court of Justice and has since been granted bail.

00:18:20.000 Due to a court-imposed publication ban, police have not released any further details at this time.

00:18:26.520 Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkew noted that investigations into criminal offences at demonstrations

00:18:32.080 do not end when the event is over,

00:18:34.800 and that complex cases like this highlight the need to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts.

00:18:41.120 The force thanked the RCMP's inset for its support.

00:18:45.420 This development did not emerge overnight, though.

00:18:48.400 Haj Amad has been a highly visible figure in Toronto's protest scene for years,

00:18:53.960 organizing and leading multiple anti-Israel demonstrations,

00:18:57.160 including events connected to the pro-Hamas encampment at the University of Toronto in 2024.

00:19:02.580 He has been documented leading marches, speaking at encampments, donating Palestinian flags as part of coordinated efforts, and even liaising with police at times to facilitate demonstrations.

00:19:16.940 In one widely circulated video from April 2025, Hajimad openly stated that he was at a particular event directly on the request of Hamas to organize a Day of Rage in Toronto.

00:19:31.280 We stand as an answer to a call directly from our resistance in Gaza.

00:19:38.340 They have called us to actually stand up and speak up and have a night of rage for what is happening in Gaza today.

00:19:47.660 Other footage shows him describing his movement as an extension to the resistance in Palestine,

00:19:54.540 language that directly references Hamas.

00:19:57.300 He has also delivered speeches invoking classic anti-Semitic tropes about Zionist control over politicians and systems. 0.59

00:20:05.800 All these Israeli and Zionist entities fill all these politicians with money in their pockets.

00:20:13.800 And in order for us, the people, to go against that is to actually stand against this lobby.

00:20:19.800 It's for us to unite to actually go financially against it.

00:20:23.800 And has urged teaching children that the Zionist entity is the enemy, 0.72

00:20:33.560 and that there is no such country called Israel.

00:20:36.460 Teach your children that the resistance is an honor,

00:20:39.460 and teach your children that there is no such country called Israel.

00:20:42.820 This latest charge comes after almost three years of open and sustained support for Hamas

00:20:48.300 since October 7th, 2023.

00:20:50.340 For nearly three years, figures like Hajimat have operated publicly, organizing events, giving speeches, building profiles as protest leaders, and expressing explicit support for a terrorist organization, while authorities largely looked the other way.

00:21:06.740 This appears to be the first time one of these prominent figures in the Toronto protest circuit has faced an actual terrorism-related offense.

00:21:14.400 Previous incidents, such as the January 2025 smoke canister discharge at Union Station that led to mischief charges against Haj Amad and another individual, resulted in far lesser consequences.

00:21:28.860 Yet the pattern of inflammatory rhetoric, disruption, and open alignment with Hamas continued unchecked for years.

00:21:37.780 So how was someone with this level of public activity, these kinds of statements, and documented support of Hamas able to continue operating openly for so long without earlier intervention?

00:21:52.360 What monitoring, if any, was taking place when individuals claimed to be acting on instructions from a designated terrorist group?

00:21:59.080 Why does it often seem that clear warning signs repeated over nearly three years are only acted upon after significant public attention, documentation by citizens and journalists, or after the situation escalates to the point where charges become unavoidable?

00:22:16.340 Designated terrorist groups like Hamas do not operate in isolation. They rely on supporters, organizers, and networks on the ground to advance their cause, maintain visibility, if you will.

00:22:27.560 When individuals with this kind of track record are allowed to function openly for years, it erodes public confidence that authorities are taking these threats with the urgency the law already permits.

00:22:41.580 Canadians have a right to expect that law enforcement will act on credible information about support for terrorist organizations in a timely manner, not years later.

00:22:53.480 We also deserve transparency once charges are laid, including clear details on the allegations and the full timeline of the investigation, even as the publication ban limits what can be said right now.

00:23:05.920 There have been repeated warnings about certain individuals and groups involved in certain protest activity that crosses into support for terrorism or incitement, followed by relatively slow or limited institutional responses until the situation becomes impossible to ignore, even though it long was.

00:23:25.820 After nearly three years of this environment, it's certainly notable that this is the first terrorism-related charge against one of these high-profile organizers.

00:23:36.420 The public deserves answers. Why was this allowed to continue for so long?

00:23:41.300 What changes, if any, will now be made in how similar cases are handled going forward?

00:23:46.120 Will there be more?

00:23:47.340 And will authorities finally treat support for designated terrorist groups with the seriousness the law already provides for?

00:23:55.820 If you have a problem with this radical ideology being publicly supported and spewed in our streets,

00:24:03.960 head to DeportHamas.com, sign the petition, add your name to our efforts, and please chip in if you can.

00:24:11.160 That is DeportHamas.com if you believe that people who come here should not be allowed to openly support designated terrorist groups.

00:24:25.820 We'll be right back. 0.54

Rebel News Podcast - July 23, 2026

EZRA LEVANT ｜ Our women’s rights billboard truck triggered a hate-crime investigation

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Transcript