A Canadian aesthetician and pro-Palestinian activist running for Windsor city council in Ontario’s Ward 4 district has said in circulating video footage online that Zionists “must be locked up.”
Rasha Zaid, who cooperates with the activist group Windsor4Palestine, was recorded speaking at a demonstration where she said: “Every person that announces they are a Zionist must be locked up! They are terrorists” and “We are not free until they’re not among us.”
The video footage was shared on social media by the X/Twitter account Leviathan, an account dedicated to naming “Jihadis, Antisemites, Anarchists & other threats. Using OSINT to notify for Public Interest” in Canada.
Rasha Zaid is a Windsor based Aesthetician & leader of Windsor4Palestine who is using her skillset to run for @CityWindsorON Councillor in Ward 4, which is currently held by @markmckenzie519
A weekly protestor in Windsor for almost 3 years, Rasha Zaid has called for anyone that… pic.twitter.com/iMa1lBYrsq
— Leviathan (@l3v1at4an) June 5, 2026
Additional footage shared by Leviathan captured Zaid leading chants of “All the Zionists are racists! All the Zionists are the terrorists!” while marching with demonstrators through city streets.
Leviathan also shared screenshots ascribed to Zaid’s social media accounts that included an image, labeled “The Zionist Cycle,” claiming that antisemitism and major attacks are staged to gain global sympathy and justify military actions, while another post featured text asserting, “There is no such thing as antisemitic.”
Zaid: ‘Zionism and Judaism are not the same thing’
Zaid said in a statement to The Jerusalem Post, “Zionism and Judaism are not the same thing, and the constant conflation of the two must end because it puts Jewish people at risk by falsely suggesting that all Jewish people share the same political beliefs.”
She added that, regarding “those statements I made, I have also made that distinction very clear in many of my statements. However, when only bits and pieces of a full speech are selected and shared while the statements that provide context and clarify my position are left out, it creates a narrative that does not represent the full statement or position honestly.”
Zaid continued, “It’s simple; when you stand behind the killing of thousands of children and civilians and violations of international law, that is where my opposition stands,” and “My words are directed at people standing behind the killing of children and civilians. I am not calling for someone to be imprisoned simply for identifying as a Zionist.
“I am calling for accountability for actions and crimes, regardless of who commits them. That distinction is important, and it is precisely the context that is lost when selected portions of my statements are presented without the rest of what I said.”
Zaid’s municipal campaign website outlines her platform around community advocacy and local representation under the banner of Windsor Ward 4.
Zaid seeks Windsor Ward 4 seat in October election
Municipal election listings on the City of Windsor official portal confirm her candidacy for the upcoming October vote, where she is challenging incumbent councilor Mark McKenzie. Campaign materials emphasize grassroots engagement.
Michael Teper, president and member of the Board of Directors of several Jewish organizations in Canada, said in a statement to the Post, “I see this as part of an emerging pattern of candidates taking explicit positions not only against Israel but against Canadians who support Israel. These candidates include Paul Salvatori, who is running for mayor of Toronto, Bahira Abdulsalam, running for a seat on the Toronto Catholic District School Board, and Tamara Sargent, running for a council seat in Owen Sound.
“The anti-Zionist activists are desperate to attain any elected office that they can use as a platform for advancing their ideology.
“What troubles me is that the organized Jewish community is largely indifferent to the threat. Once this movement gains a foothold at the local government level, it can easily transmute to the provincial and federal government levels where it could severely impact Jewish life in Canada,” Teper said.
