"Hi, my name is Hala. The Canadian parliament recently passed a motion
to formally condemn the BDS movement - the boycott, divestment and
sanctions movement. The problem is that it is our freedom of speech and
our freedom of choice that we are touching.
Countries that do not
respect human rights and international law need to be condemned, not the
BDS movement. Countries like Saudi Arabia that do not respect women's
liberty. Where Raif Badawi is condemned to a thousand lashes for
criticizing radical Islam. Countries like Israel, that still in 2016
colonize, bomb and treat Palestinians like third class citizens."

- Hala Yassin, endorses BDS during Miss Canada contest

==
“If
I win, I will proudly wear my crown on a boat to Gaza, in protests for
social justice and against austerity,” says Hala, Miss Canada finalist, a
civil engineer and board member of PAJU (Palestinian & Jewish
Unity).

When assessing her chances of winning on March 5, she asks:
“Does Miss Canada want that kind of publicity? Miss Canada calling for a boycott of Israel? I don’t think so.”

Whether
they want this kind of publicity or not, they probably will get some of
it since the Canadian Parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of a
motion condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS)
last week. Apart from her desire to promote the rights of indigenous
people from Turtle Island, as they used to call Canada, defending the
rights of the Palestinians and calling for the boycott of Israel happen
to be the main reasons why Hala is part of the Miss Canada contest. “I’m
using the platform to spread my message of peace. I don’t really care
about winning,” she says, casually.

In the wake of last week’s
vote, will the organisation come under fire for having a contestant who
actively protests against Israel’s lack of respect for human rights, war
crimes and apartheid policies and is actively engaged in promoting the
BDS campaign?