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Organized by: Deana and Fatma — https://www.eventbrite.com/o/121917197970Join the community and help support Deana Sherif’s legal battle, while enjoying delicious Palestinian cuisine with amazing music & guests
Enjoy a three course meal of authentic fine Palestinian cuisine at AKKA Dining Lounge, resistance music and bid on auction items while raising funds as she battles the racist anti-Palestinian justice system to set the record straight & to help protect Canadian’s right to be present & rightfully reject the government’s role in the genocide of our Palestinian brothers & sisters. Hear from Deana about her journey through Canada's criminal justice system, her time in jail, what she has learned and how activists can learn from this experience.
Deana Sherif, an Ottawa activist is a single mother of two, well-known for fierce pro-Palestinian, anti-fascist, and other protest activity.
April 15, 2024: During a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside a government building near Parliament Hill, two different men violently entered the protest. Deana used a Fox 40 electronic whistle to attempt to deter these men and call attention to authorities to the violence she was witnessing. Instead of charging these men, police charged her with eight offences, among them assault with a weapon using sound with the whistle. A charge never seen in any country, let alone in Canada. Despite having no criminal record and having strong roots within the greater Ottawa community, she was denied bail and would spend the next 53 days in Ontario jails. The Crown stated that they wanted to “make an example of her.” The police and the Crown wrongfully accused Deana of hate motivated crimes because one of the most violent attackers was wearing a kippah. This was a clear attempt at besmirching Deana’s reputation
Deana was finally released on bail conditions while she awaited trial. One specific condition stated: “Do not use any device or instruments that have sound projection or emission as their sole function, including a whistle or megaphone, but not including a cell phone or a radio."
While on those bail conditions, Deana protested neo-nazis (actual antisemites) who wore swastika t-shirts and the organizers themselves had swastikas tattooed on their bodies. At this protest, Deana squeezed a watermelon-shaped dog toy at Nazis and called them names. The police decided that a dog toy noise was a breach of her conditions and arrested her and held her in custody where she was later charged with two more charges and once again denied bail. Deana was held for an additional 287 days in jail away from her children, family, work and community, while still not having a criminal record.
On the squeaky-toy charges, Deana was found guilty of causing a disturbance and breaching bail conditions (acquitted of resisting arrest). The judge made an error in law and Deana appealed his decision. The appeal was heard October 19, 2026. The decision will be received soon. Deana’s lawyer seems confident that the conviction for the squeaky toy will be overturned. If so, this means Deana should have NEVER been held in custody for those 10 long months and never should have paid tens of thousands of dollars to defend herself, not once, but twice.
On the main April 2024 charges, a jury convicted her of assault with a weapon using sound of the electronic whistle; a novel finding treating the sound itself as capable of constituting a weapon, without proven physical contact in available video. The jury also found her guilty of criminal harassment for "following" the man who assaulted four activists . She was acquitted on the other charges. The Crown could not pursue the Hate-motivated aspects. The police fumbled that narrative by arresting her for protesting against Nazis. Sentencing on May 6, 2026, imposed the equivalent of the ~17 months she had already spent in pre-trial custody (credited with allowance for conditions), plus one year of probation.
Deana was punished more severely than violent criminals.
Courts are not supposed to create new laws. Sound as a weapon is not defined in the criminal code and therefore, Deana should have been acquitted of the assault with a weapon using sound. We believe the Judge erred in law when he directed the jury before the verdict.
Deana is now in the process of appealing these convictions and needs financial support from the community to take this to Canada’s higher courts.
Legal fees for Sherif’s defence to date have been around $90,000–$100,000 covering two bail hearings, a bail review, two trials, five transcripts, and appeals.
Deana’s case highlights:
The disproportionate overreach or “process as punishment” for non-violent protest tactics (noise via whistle or squeaky toy is common at demonstrations). The novel treatment of sound as a “weapon” is seen as a potential precedent that could chill free expression and assembly rights.
Lengthy pre-trial detention for a mother, separated from her children, over these actions.
High cost of defending (especially on novel legal issues and appeals), which can be crushing without community support.
Context of her activism on Palestinian rights and other causes, with claims of selective enforcement or targeting of vocal protesters.
Proceeds from the dinner and auction will help pay for the latest appeal and the transcripts of the 16 day trial.
If you would like to make a donation directly to Deana's legal fund, you can e-transfer funds to [email protected]
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145 Besserer St, 145 Besserer Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 5X6, CA, Canada
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