Samar Alkhdour, a Palestinian mother residing in Canada, has publicly criticized local residents for Halloween decorations she finds offensive. According to Alkhdour, the decorations, which include gruesome displays of severed plastic body parts, are in poor taste and culturally insensitive.

Alkhdour, who is 40 years old, came to Quebec in 2019 seeking asylum. Earlier this year, her sister, along with her two young children, joined her from Gaza. Since her arrival, Alkhdour has been a vocal advocate for Palestinian causes, frequently using social media to share her experiences as a refugee and to champion human rights.

In a recent social media post, Alkhdour expressed her dismay over the elaborate Halloween decorations she encountered in her Montreal neighborhood. She questioned the appropriateness of such displays, asking, “Is this ok? Is this how holidays look like?” Her comments were directed at her neighbors, whom she accused of insensitivity.

Alkhdour’s criticism has sparked a conversation about cultural differences and the potential impact of holiday traditions on diverse communities. Her perspective highlights the ongoing dialogue about inclusivity and respect in multicultural societies.

‘I just want to ask, is this ok? Is this how holidays look like?’ she asked as she panned the camera over a hanging display of severed plastic body parts.

‘This is just across the street from my sister’s [house]. Is this f***ing ok? What’s the fun about it? What is civilized about it? What is holiday about it?

‘F*** you all. F*** you, white people. F*** you, westerners… I don’t know what to say, like, f*** everyone.’

Her post, which was met with heavy criticism online, highlighted how her family spent eight months witnessing ‘genocide’ and, after managing to flee Gaza, spent an entire year in Egypt as they sought asylum in Canada.

Palestinian refugee Samar Alkhdour has criticized her neighbors for displaying gory Halloween decor outside their Montreal home

‘I just want to ask, is this ok? Is this how holidays look like?’ Alkhdour asked in a video sharing the decor. ‘F*** you all. F*** you, white people. F*** you, westerners… I don’t know what to say, like, f*** everyone’

Social media users hit out Alkhdour’s video, arguing that if she does not support local customs she and her family should leave the country.

She has been inundated with hateful DMs on Instagram – which she shared to her own stories – in which she was criticized over her ‘disgusting post’ and accused of being ‘racist.’ 

Other messages accused her of ‘contributing nothing’ to Canadian society and living off of taxpayer funds. 

The activist, however, did not waiver on her stance and clarified that she was upset by the prominent display of severed body parts – not the holiday as a whole. 

Her sister has two young children, aged eight and nine, who pass by the ‘chopped up, dismembered body parts’ every day on their way to school. 

‘It is not ok for the kids, who have seen these scenes in real life –– they’ve seen dismembered bodies, they’ve seen blood,’ Alkhdour told the Daily Mail. 

‘How do you think they’re going to heal from this trauma by seeing these scenes as part of a holiday celebration?’ 

She believes holidays should be about ‘joy, fun and happiness, not about ugly stuff that reminds and triggers people of real life atrocities.’

Social media users hit out Alkhdour’s video, arguing that if she does not support local customs she and her family should leave Canada. The activist, however, posted on her Instagram stories and clarified that she was upset by the severed body parts – not the holiday itself

Alkhdour said she posted the video out of a state of shock and wanted to people to question ‘what is fun about this? What’s civilized about this? Is this acceptable?’

‘When I said, f*** you white people, it was so spontaneous in a way. I don’t mean all white people. That was, for me, a critique of this white culture. 

‘I wasn’t targeting that household in particular, but instead the whole phenomenon of Halloween that has been appropriated.’

Alkhdour explained how the ‘basic idea’ of Halloween is to ‘pay respect’ and honor the deceased, but the gory decorations are not aligned with that.

‘[Honoring the dead] is something that’s so beautiful, that’s deeply rooted in many cultures. But the white man appropriated this holiday and made it so okay to see these bloody scenes as part of their holidays and fun thing in the west.’

The video also sparked massive uproar on X, where users not only criticized her use of explicit language, but also went as far as calling for her deportation.

‘People who come to Canada seeking safety should at least respect the country that took them in,’ one X user wrote.  

‘You don’t have to love every tradition, but openly cursing the very society that shelters you is contempt for the values that made that refuge possible.’

Alkhdour came to Canada in 2019 as a refugee. She works and lives in Montreal with her husband and two of her children

‘Don’t you like it? Go back home with your entire family. Sooner is better,’ one said, while another replied: ‘Great news, she can go home!’

One user mockingly added: ‘She won’t be happy here. Please let her go!’

Some X users said they understand why she found the decorations distressing, but argued her seemingly hateful rhetoric was uncalled for.

‘Not going to lie. That’s terrifying,’ one said of the decor. 

‘The severed body parts are too grotesque for a front yard display,’ echoed another. 

One user wrote: ‘She sucks, but I also hate Halloween decorations like this.’ 

Alkhdour works and lives in Montreal with her husband and two of her children.

Her eldest daughter Jana, 13, died in Gaza in January 2024, just two weeks before her refugee visa was granted by the Canadian government. 

Alkhdour has lived in North America for nearly a decade. She earned her master’s degree in the US before she came to Canada in 2019 as a refugee.

She opted to move to Canada because she ‘believed it was a country that valued human rights,’ she told La Converse last year.

Alkhdour has frequently participated in pro-Palestine protests in Canada (pictured). She was arrested last year and charged with criminally harassing Montreal MP Marc Miller during a demonstration

Although her sister’s family moved to Canada in May, much of her family still remains in Gaza today, including her father, two brothers and their children.

Alkhdour said the comments will not stop her from continuing her activism work.

‘Change is not comfortable. Defying the system is not comfortable for no one,’ she told the Daily Mail.

‘I didn’t do anything that’s risky. That video wasn’t risky for me, but people were just twisting it, and you know what’s the funny part for me is, like, they used my video showing the beeheaded, chopped-off head and leg and hand, saying [these are] “friendly” Halloween decorations.’

She shared how she was ‘forced to leave my country, my family, my friends, my work, to seek a better future for my children’ and is not afraid of hateful comments online.

‘I am using my voice, I’m using these platforms to keep speaking up. Nothing’s going to stop me, because whatever that’s gonna happen to me here is way better compared to what’s happening to my people in Gaza, and what happened to my daughter. She died.’

Alkhdour has lived in North America for nearly a decade. She earned her master’s degree in the US before moving to Canada

Alkhdour has frequently participated in pro-Palestine protests in Canada and has been arrested three times and detained once. 

She was one of three activists charged with criminally harassing Montreal MP Marc Miller during a demonstration in September 2024, CBC reported.

The group allegedly demonstrated outside Miller’s campaign office, shouting ‘shame on you’ and ‘you’re a child killer’.

The protest was not violent, with Alkhdour’s lawyer describing it as a ‘purely peaceful expression of her political views.’

Alkhdour told Daily Mail that all four cases against her were ultimately dropped.