Samar Alkhdour was born in Yemen to a Syrian mother from Hama & a Palestinian father from Hebron. Her father's parents were forced to flee during the Nakba in 1948 to Jordan. Her father was 2 months old at the time. Alkhdour is a third generation Palestinian refugee.
Education & Career
Samar Alkhdour, Palestinian Activist at a Pro-Palestine event for local group Hochelaga Pour la Palestine (Hochelaga for Palestine) Photo by Mohanned Mansour
“I chose Canada to apply for refugee at the time because I believed it was a country that valued human rights. Today, I am disappointed, but I hope that things will change.” - Samar Alkhdour.[4]
Samar Alkhdour protesting outside Hotel Place D'Armes in the Old Port of Montreal. Photo by Mohanned Mansour
"This disregard to our suffering as Palestinians, while I saw how they dealt with the Ukrainians, with no conditions at all imposed on them. A lot of benefits were offered to them, financially and otherwise – that's infuriating for me. And it's still happening, like all the support and help given to the Ukrainians up until this moment, which is amazing, but why? Why have these double standards and racism and discrimination against us as Palestinians? I mean, I know the answer, but… to experience this firsthand is - it’s driving me crazy. So that immigration… I would say the immigration system works for certain people, not for everyone." said Samar Alkhdour.[5]
Alkhdour was featured on the podcast Point of Entry[7] on August 22, 2024. In this episode, The Refugee Centre Advocacy Coordinator, Alina Murad sits down with Community Organizer, Samar Alkhdour to discuss her ongoing sit-in outside of former Immigration Minister, Marc Miller's office.The two discuss Samar's experience leaving Gaza, the bureaucracy of family reunification and the policy changes she is advocating for.
Alkhdour was featured on the podcast The World Unspun[8] on 17 December, 2024. This episode was hosted by Paula Lacey Editorial Assistant at New Internationalist.
