Local politicians respond to the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel and the controversy surrounding Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama.
While Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama’s position is well known, other local politicians have also spoken out.
Local media coverage following the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack on Israel has primarily focused on the Sarah Jama controversy, but other local politicians have also commented on the situation.
Responses to the October 7th Hamas Attack
Among those who commented on the October 7th Hamas attack mere hours after it took place were Hamilton’s Mayor Andrea Horwath and Ward 8 (West/Central Mountain) Councillor John-Paul Danko.
Horwath tweeted that her “heart goes out” to everyone impacted by the “senseless acts of violence” and “to the Israeli and Palestinian communities here in Hamilton.”
Meanwhile, Danko tweeted a statement saying that antisemitism is spreading due to “extremist movements here in Hamilton, across Canada, and around the world.”
“We must all stand together to condemn these terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens,” he continued.
On October 8, Danko tweeted again that he was reflecting on the local response to the Hamas attack from those in various leadership roles within the city.
He said that some McMaster unions and faculty, elected officials, and community members in the city were justifying and outright celebrating the “brutal terrorist acts.”
He did not mention anyone by name, although the union in question was likely CUPE 3906 which posted several controversial tweets that were then condemned by the university itself.
Local Councillors Esther Pauls (Ward 7 – Central Mountain) and Maureen Wilson (Ward 1 – Chedoke-Cootes-Westdale) also publicly released statements condemning the Hamas attack and expressing support for Israel, as did several local provincial and federal politicians.
Responses to the Sarah Jama Saga
When Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama released her now infamous October 10th statement that appeared to justify the Hamas attack, Hamilton East-Stoney Creek MPP Neil Lumsden was quick to respond.
Lumsden said, “Ms. Jama does not speak for Hamilton.”
He added that “anyone who makes comments attempting to rationalize the barbaric attacks committed by Hamas terrorists in Israel has no place in the Ontario Legislature.”
Lumsden’s party, the Ontario PCs, would later vote to censure Jama from speaking in the legislature until she deletes her October 10th statement from social media and makes a verbal apology.
Jama was kicked out of the Ontario NDP caucus by leader Marit Stiles after taking multiple “unilateral actions” without informing the party of her intentions.
Those actions included hiring controversial lawyer Stephen Ellis and threatening to sue Premier Doug Ford, pinning her October 10th social media statement to the top of her profile, and delivering an unapproved speech on Palestine in the legislature.
Jama’s removal prompted even more comments from local politicians.
Hamilton Centre NDP MP Matthew Green released a statement in support of Jama and suggested that Jama was kicked out of the party due to “racism.”
Green said that Jama’s removal “perpetuates a long history of racialized voices being dismissed and ignored in spaces where decisions are made.”
Two local Councillors also released statements supporting Jama.
Ward 2 (Downtown Hamilton) Councillor Cameron Kroetsch said that he will “not support the Ontario NDP in any way until they reverse the decision” to remove Jama from their caucus.
Kroetsch has historically expressed support for multiple federal and provincial NDP politicians.
Ward 3 (East Hamilton Centre) Councillor Nrinder Nann also opposed the decision to remove Jama from the Ontario NDP, saying that it was “unconscionable” and was based “on the premise that her statement about the Israel-Palestine situation had caused too much grief for the party.”
On the contrary, Stiles maintains that it was the “unilateral” actions Jama took afterwards that indicated she no longer wished to work as a team and that they could no longer trust her.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
