Nasrallah In Canada

This billboard was erected in Windsor, Canada .. The sign is in a downtown neighborhood with many Arab shops and residents .. It depicts among others, Hasan Nasrallah .. The other four are Michel Aoun, Selim El Hoss, Emile Lahoud, and Nabih Berri - all opposition figures .. Printed in English are the words Lebanese and Arab communities in Windsor city congratulate the Lebanese people for their steadfastness and endeavor to establish peace in Windsor .. The billboard does not mention Hezbollah by name .. The Canadian government lists Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Nevertheless, the billboard managed to cause quite a stir in the town .. Jewish organizations were outraged .. Even the Lebanese Kataeb party came out against the billboard.
"How can that billboard be up in Windsor when it represents a terrorist organization which is banned under the laws of Canada?" asked Harvey Kessler, executive director of the Windsor Jewish Community Centre.
Emile Nabbout, president of the Windsor branch of the Lebanese Christian political group Kataeb, said the billboard creates a misconception of the views of Windsor's Lebanese community. "We really are not in support or in favour of that billboard and it should be removed ASAP," he said. "All those individuals in that picture... they are in opposition to the Lebanese government right now," Nabbout said. "By just analyzing the picture, there is no doubt in my mind this is a Hezbollah activity," he added.

Yet for others .. the billboard instilled a sense of pride ..
Sam Ali, a 39-year-old Lebanese-born Windsor resident, said he supports the billboard's message, and he believes many in the city's Lebanese population feel the same way.
According to Ali, the accusations that Hezbollah is terrorist are untrue. "Hezbollah is freedom fighting. Whoever calls them terrorist is a liar," he said. Ali, a Muslim, said Nasrallah has done good things, helping people with hospitals and medicine. "When Nasrallah speaks in Lebanon, a million and a half or two million people go into the street to listen."
Fellow Lebanese native and Muslim Ghina Maawie said she doesn't understand why anyone would be offended by the billboard. "When I saw it, I felt so happy and so proud of it," she said. "In Canada, we have freedom of speech." Maawie also dismissed the criticisms of Hezbollah. "For anyone to defend Lebanon, they call them terrorist. All we did is defend our country."

The controversial billboard has been taken down .. But one of the people responsible for putting it up says it has nothing to do with the backlash ..
“What ever we believe, we’ll speak about it anytime,” said Hussein Dabaja. “We will speak about human rights, about the truth, about Nasrallah. We’re going to do it and nobody can stop us.” Dabaja said the company that owns the sign, CBS Outdoors, covered the billboard because the Lebanese community members only paid to have it up over the weekend. “We paid for the weekend and it’s done,” said Dabaja. “We have our message, and our message got the point across.”

When asked about it .. Windsor's Mayor Eddie Francis, of Lebanese descent himself, said that "The politics of Lebanon belong in Lebanon, not on the streets of Windsor."