Ottawa mayoral cadidate promises to raise Palestinian flag at city hall if elected

Ottawa mayoral candidate Neil Saravanamuttoo stated in a campaign video posted on Friday on social media that what is happening in Gaza is a genocide and promised that he would “raise the Palestinian flag at City Hall if elected.”

Saravanamuttoo, an economist, podcaster, and organizer who previously served as an economic advisor during the 2022 mayoral election and co-founded the municipal governance nonprofit CitySHAPES, registered his candidacy for the October municipal election.

In the video address filmed outside the site of the Ottawa Palestinian Festival, Saravanamuttoo stated that leaders in positions of authority have a responsibility to call out injustice rather than stand in silence.

“As mayor, I will stand with those in our community who are suffering the grief of loss, the anguish of injustice,” Saravanamuttoo said in the video address. “That’s why, as mayor, I will raise the Palestinian flag at City Hall, as we do for other states.”

In the video, Saravanamuttoo said, “I’ve read the report of the UN’s independent International Commission of Inquiry, and I agree with the Commission’s findings that what’s happening in Gaza is a genocide,” while asserting that “70,000 civilians have been killed in Gaza, including 20,000 children.”

Saravanamuttoo also addressed broader community relations in his campaign launch, stating, “As mayor, I will stand against Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian discrimination, and antisemitism,” and pledging, “My door will be open. I’ll use my position to make sure that no community in our city feels unheard.”

Saravanamuttoo says he's been prepared to make stance clear

In an interview with CTV News on Saturday, Saravanamuttoo reportedly said he wanted to make his stance on the issue clear, stating, “I have been prepared to stand up and say that Gaza is a genocide. I agree with the findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on this point.”

He explained, “People want to know as mayor where I stand, and I think people want to know because they want to know what your values are and whether your values align with their values.”

Saravanamuttoo reportedly added that members of the community have expressed concern about the conflict in Gaza: “There are a lot of people that say this is just an injustice that is happening, and someone needs to stand up for this. We need to speak truth to power, and there’s been certainly a sense that leaders in Canada have not been articulating what we can all see to be the case.”

Saravanamutto's comments receive backlash

Richard Robertson, director of Research and Advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, said in a statement to The Jerusalem Post, “It is deeply distressing that a mayoral candidate in Ottawa would choose to make the Israel-Palestine conflict a focal point of his platform. Complex geopolitical issues should not be weaponized to solicit votes. Aspiring civic leaders should be doing their part to end division and unite Canadians.”

Honest Reporting Canada reacted to the campaign launch on social media, saying, “Judging by his campaign video, one might think he is campaigning to govern Gaza. Rather than explaining how he would improve life for Ottawa residents, Saravanamuttoo focuses entirely on the war in Gaza, repeats the false claim that 70,000 civilians are dead – while fully excluding Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups from that figure – and then accuses Israel of the false genocide libel. Ottawans deserve to hear how a mayoral candidate plans to address the issues affecting their city, not an anti-Israel account of a conflict taking place thousands of kilometers away.”