Think of the timing of these two horrific unjust anti-rule-of-law happenings on Hallowe’en when families are too busy with their kids to read about these genocide-enabling events:
- Crown Prosecutor dropping assault charges of Zionist brutally assaulting a pro Palestinian calling for peace and land back to Palestine (i.e. From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free – nothing antisemitic or genocidal about it); a crown prosecutor lying about what antisemitism is to aid Israel’s brutal mass murder of innocent families; and
- Zionist Deb Lyons, “special envoy” to enable Israel’s genocide releases her dangerous racist anti Muslim, anti Arab, anti Palestinian, pro mass murder “handbook” to rage farm and kill Canadians’ right to freedom of Expression.
Canada’s biased unfair unjust legal-judicial industry has been enabling violations of the law for decades, including by our authorities meant to enforce the law, like RCMP, Alberta Govt’ and AER lying, bullying and threatening me again and again, violating my peace, charter rights and home while letting criminal Encana legally spit into Cenovus, later legally fleeing to USA as Ovintiv. I believe I was so nastily treated and my rights so often violated not just because I spoke out with data and truth about Encana/Ovintiv crimes in the frac patch, but also because I’ve boycotted Israeli products most of my adult life and spoken out publicly against Israel’s crimes against humanity and intentional killing of kids and other innocents in it’s plan to eradicate Palestine, Palestinians, all those who support Palestinians, and steal Palestine’s hundreds of $billions in oil and gas (which must be frac’d).
In my case:
Where were the prosecutors?
Where were the judges?
Where were the lawyers?
Where were the police?
Oh right, too busy lying to the public and me, harming me directly and enabling the harms by others than to appropriately honestly do their jobs to uphold our rights and the law.
Corrupt racist cowardly fuckers the lot of them, especially the prosecutors, lawyers and judges.
Are they trying to shit on this important related legal matter just released in the UK:
1975: UN Resolution 3379: “Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.”
2024: Ione Belarra to Spain’s PM:
“Mr. Sanchez, what is the difference between what Israel does and the Nazi gas chambers? There is none.”
Terrill Tailfeathers@Terrilltf:
When are Canadians going to realize that fascism is here? It needs to be stopped. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
Fascism has been rotting Canada since Steve Harper’s first stink as PM in 2006, and his vile Muslim-hating, land-and-resource-stealing dances with genocidaire extraordinaire, Bibi Netanyahu.
Davide Mastracci@DavideMastracci:
October 31: Assault charges against a Jewish person in Canada who pulled off a woman’s hijab are dropped in part because the victim said, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
November 1: Columbia University pays $395,000 to an Israeli student they suspended who sprayed a pro-Palestine crowd with a substance that made them sick.
What act of violence against Palestinians in North America will go unpunished, or even rewarded, next?
2014 Pictou Advocate cartoon
@HarshaWalia:
Not only did Canada release anti-Palestinian IHRA handbook today, but this story is horrifying.
Crown victim blames Palestinian woman who had hijab violently pulled by suggesting she provoked it by using “genocidal” chant from the river to the sea.
https://twitter.com/YouCaughtScott/status/1852043603599855880
Scott Martin (Pinko Punko)@YouCaughtScott:
Absolutely fucking disgusting to say Holocaust denial is equally as antisemitic as this
sam@numnumzzy:
It’s only antisemitic to point out the genocide but not antisemitic to commit a genocide….
@TaherLeem:
Zionists are ruining our lives. This will not stop at just pro-Palestine activism. When those in power see they can silence dissent, manipulate laws to their benefit and get away with it, they’ll keep on doing it to everyone. I’m speaking from experience here. We’re screwed.
@fuzzydunlop443:
My advice to all our women of color from marginalized groups, easily identifiable because of headscarfs or anything, take this ruling as a message don’t protest alone anymore. Protest in groups. The government and its courts are not your friends, & the social contract is broken.
Aliya Pabani@aliyapabani:
We’re at the point where you can just assault Muslims in the street and get away with
Toronto Centre For Palestine@TorontoCen4Pal:
Literally. Now any Zionist can feel emboldened to attack anyone at any rally where there are chants they don’t like.
@Alexandlpa:
Canada is becoming terrifying.
Vincent Wong@VWLegal:
Crown prosecutor Moiz Karimjee’s treatment of a hate crime victim is abhorrent. He withdraws the assault/harassment charges of the victim who had her hijab violently ripped off because she chanted “From the River to the Sea Palestine will be Free”.
@KC321go:
Does the U of T encampment ruling have any bearing on this? In the decision Justice Koehnen wrote that From the River to the Sea was not inherently antisemitic. Can that serve as some sort of precedent for this case? Can the prosecutor decision be appealed? It’s appalling.
kimlee@famcourthurts:
Canada doesn’t have a justice system, it has a legal $y$tem. working as designed to control the ppl & enrich a few.
finally being exposed for what it is…a tool of the colonizer.
we deserve better, we deserve a system of justice in C
- Canada legalizing assault against citizens the genocidaires don’t like on Hallowe’en? Creepy as Frac!
Ceasefire NOW@MrPissant2:
apparently Palestinians and muslims have no rights in Canada anymore
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East@CJPME:
A Muslim woman was assaulted by a pro-Israel counter-demonstrator who tore off her hijab. Crown prosecutors say she brought this upon herself by chanting for Palestinian freedom. This is shocking racism and an ominous warning of where things are headed.
@GMeastra:
Can a legal firm please take this on? If not for her case, then for another person in a similar circumstance? We must not let this become the norm.It’s been the norm for decades, especially in the racist hate-filled bigoted love law-violating polluters west.
Charges dropped against woman filmed pulling Pro-Palestinian protester’s hijab, Crown said victim’s chant could ‘reasonably be inferred’ as a call for genocide of the Jewish people by Campbell MacDiarmid, CBC News, Oct 31, 2024
Crown prosecutors have dropped assault and harassment charges against a woman who pulled the hijab of a protester at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Ottawa in May, saying it needed to balance the public interest in prosecution and the reasonable prospect of conviction.
As part of the reasoning given for withdrawing charges on Thursday, assistant Crown attorney Moiz Karimjee said the Crown considered a number of factors, including that the victim was chanting “From the River to the Sea Palestine will be Free,” which he said could be reasonably inferred to be “a call for genocide of the Jewish people.” Crown prosecutor is a fucking liar! Typical of Canada’s racist genocidal legal-judicial industry.
Karimjee noted Hayfa Abdelkhaleq was chanting the phrase outside Ottawa City Hall on May 14 when Lorna Bernbaum approached her and pulled her hijab.
Bernbaum was on her way to a celebration of Israel’s Independence Day when she encountered Abdelkhaleq, who was waving a Palestinian flag and protesting Israel’s assault on Gaza.
Video showed Bernbaum, 74, giving the middle finger to the camera before she pulled down Abdelkhaleq’s headscarf, revealing her hair.
Abdelkhaleq responded by shouting, “Shame, shame on you,” as Bernbaum walked away.
Following an investigation by the Ottawa Police Service’s hate crime and bias unit, Bernbaum was charged with criminal harassment by threatening conduct, assault and mischief.
Accused’s actions ‘a serious offence,’ Crown says
In an 11-point statement read to Justice Trevor Brown, Karimjee characterized Bernbaum’s actions as “a serious offence against law and order.”
He also noted that in her victim impact statement, Abdelkhaleq said her life had been turned upside down by the assault. She left both her job and the country as she didn’t feel safe.
“When I think about coming back to Canada, my body shakes,” said Abdelkhaleq, who is a Canadian citizen.
The assault also affected the sense of safety and belonging of other members of Canada’s Arab, Palestinian and Muslim communities, Karimjee said.
Right to protest not absolute
But he also said Abdelkhaleq’s constitutionally protected right to protest was not absolute. Specifically, the Crown cited her use of the chant as “problematic.”Sleazy racist genocide-enabling rule of law in Canada, as usual.
“Chants at a protest cannot call for genocide of a people,” FFS! That chant does not call for genocide, it calls for Israel to stop its genocide against Palestinians and it calls for world support in stopping that genocide Karimjee said. “While some give this phrase a peaceful meaning, an equally reasonable inference is that it is a call for genocide of the Jewish people.What a Zionism-enabling liar you are Mr. Karimjee.
“Anyone chants this at his or her own peril because if additional evidence likely fabricated by the crown, the way Rick McKee, lawyer with the EUB tried to do when he interrogated me, bullied me and tried to make me admit to having bombs in my barn. I don’t even own a sling shot. in a particular case establishes a genocidal intent, the person could be charged criminally.”This is beyond gross, and even worse than what AER/ERCB/EUB did to me trying to silence me for publicly speaking out about Encana illegally frac’ing my community’s drinking water aquifers, contaminating them. This is the crown prepping to criminalize pro Palestinian speech, and criminalize calls for peace and calls for an end to Israel’s decades of genocide.
He said it took the use of the chant into account in the Crown’s reasoning for withdrawing charges because of the “duty to assess the public interest having regard to all the circumstances.”Fucking horrific Zionism enabling cowardice. You are genocide-enabling, inhumane, anti rule of law, anti human rights super douche Mr. Karimjee.
“The fact is that [the chant] is perceived by many Jewish and non-Jewish Palestinian-hating Zionist persons as being a call for genocide of Jews. It sounds counter-intuitive to protest a perceived genocide of Palestinians while using a phrase where one interpretation is a call for genocide of the Jewish people.”Fucking disgusting Mr. Karimjee for saying this, if it’s correct as reported. Did Rosalie Abella write this quote for you? Bibi? Irwin Cotler?
Accused admitted wrongdoing, offered apology
Karimjee also noted that Abdelkhaleq, who says many of her friends and relatives have been killed in Gaza, has a right to protest “what she perceived to be the Israeli occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people.”You unholy fucker, Mr. Karimjee, need to be fired and put to work picking up and bagging body bits of babies in Palestine and Lebanon.
Several UN Security Council Resolutions and the Canadian government recognize the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal.
Moreover, Karimjee said, having her head scarf pulled down “violated her personal safety, sense of belonging to Canada and dignity.”
Still the legal fucker served genocide. Fucking cruelty to the ninth degree in hell, especially as this came down on the day Ms. Lyons genocide-serving hate-farming racist report was unleashed. The Canadian precedent to abuse, assault, violate rights, and murder Palestinians and their supports and those opposed to mass murder has been set: Our legal-judicial industry will protect all haters of and or harming those calling for an end to Israel’s genocide and will protect all abusers of Muslims, Arabs, Canadian Indigenous, Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese, citizens protesting frac crimes
But the Crown accepted that Bernbaum had made amends since the incident by admitting her wrongdoing, conveying an apology to Abdelkhaleq via the Crown and offering a restitution payment. She also spoke with a Muslim community representative to understand the significance of the hijab to Muslim women, and the importance of the right to protest.
He also noted she had no prior criminal record and this was the first time she was arrested and charged.
Karimjee said Abdelhaleq was supportive of the Crown withdrawing charges.Oh ya, sure. Coerced?
‘I’m not happy’
When contacted by CBC on Thursday however, Abdelhaleq said she had felt pressured to agree to the Crown withdrawing charges and felt that if she did not, she could face action herself.
And there is it. Mr. Karimjee is on team Satan. So similar to Harper’s anti-terrorist squad invading my home after I filed my legal papers, trying to threaten and intimidate me into dropping my lawsuit and shutting up about the endless harms caused and crimes by frac’ers. I also, have never felt safe since that day they invaded in Feb 2009, not anywhere, not even in my own frac’d home. Photos below show me in Dublin Ireland chatting about the invasion:
“I’m not happy. I’m just really shocked,” she said.
She deplored Karimjee’s characterization of her chanting as being open to interpretation as a call to genocide.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe that,” she said, comparing it to being told there is no right to chant “Free Canada.”
Hearing the way Karimjee characterized her chanting had the same impact on her as the initial assault, she said.
“Like I have no right to say ‘freedom,’ I have no right to say ‘peace,'” she said. “I’m just saying it.”The white supremacist gun-totting Fucker Truckers can though, while illegally occupying cities, borders and more!
Abdelhaleq said there’s no comparison between her words and the actions of Israel in Gaza, where she said her family was being bombed.
“I’m calling for freedom, basically,” she said. “I didn’t touch anyone, I didn’t hate anyone.”
The Crown’s decision made her doubt whether she would return to Canada, she said: “Maybe I have no right as a Muslim woman to be in Canada.”You don’t, that’s a given. I don’t even have a right to be a white part Jewish woman in Canada because I publicly call out Israel’s genocide, have done for decades, just as I have called out frac crimes enabled by our gov’ts, regulators and judges and lies by my own lawyers.
Charges withdrawn
But in court on Thursday, Justice Trevor Brown thanked Karimjee for his efforts “balancing the complex realities of this case.”J Brown, you are just another genocide Zionism enabling fucker of Satan. FFS. These piss on the rule of law judges make me sick and thoroughly embarrassed to be a part Jewish Canadian. Abella coach you too?
Addressing Bernbaum, Brown said: “I will mark those charges as withdrawn and you are free to go.”
Bernbaum declined comment to CBC.
Criminal lawyer Michael Spratt, who was not involved in the case, said it was “dangerous” for Crown attorneys to comment on the meaning of protest chants.
“I think the Crown — who are lawyers for His Majesty the King — need to be very careful about wading into what slogans mean, especially in situations as complicated as Middle East peace,” he told CBC.
2. Canada legalizing hate and the final killing off of our charter right to freedom of expression to serve Genocidaire Israel, frac’ers and genocidal racist hateful lying Zionism:
cornchip@scorn_chip:
a publication on antisemitism that mentions white supremacists twice, and israel 170 times is not serious.
and it makes diaspora jews entirely unsafe by conflating us with a genocidal administration, thereby fueling antisemitism.
not in our fucking names, thanks.
https://twitter.com/scorn_chip/status/1852181507198124446
Dr Katherine Blouin @isisnaucratis:
Canada is saying 2+2=5
Should this “guide” – which goes against history & is contrary to ALL expertise on the topic – be implemented, academic freedom + freedom of expression will be completely dismantled to the service of a foreign fascist ideology
***
Cartoon below is from 2013 by Gerald Scarfe for Sunday Times shows Netanyahu building his wall of greed, hate and land theft with bodies of Palestinians
Christopher Wilson@chrisw_ottawa:
It’s like the Nazis wrote it
It’s not even about protecting Israel but the Zionist fascists who currently control Israel.
Canada has a long history of apartheid. In fact it was to Canada & its Indian Act that South Africans turned to develop their apartheid policies. Canada never seems to learn from its mistakes.I don’t think Canada is interesting in learning anything, it just wants to continue and stealing to keep its rich happy and the rest of us slaves to their profit-raping
PS: Palestinians are descendants of Semites. More so than most European born Israelis
@YvesRochon1:
It increases anti semitism. But the aim has nothing to do with anti semitism. It is totally related to censuring the criticism of the criminal State of Israel…
KC@KC321go:
I honestly can’t believe they had the nerve to release this. Comments disabled but the quotes are a bloodbath.
The jig is up, we’ve figured out that your definition is designed to do one thing – protect Israel.
It does absolutely nothing to combat REAL antisemitism. Shameful!
Dr Ruth Marshall is Kicking Against the Pricks@wtfis2bdone:
This handbook has as its sole purpose to spread fear and chill speech. It will do nothing to stop antisemitism, and arguably will contribute to making it worse by conflating Judaism with Israel. It’s a grossly antidemocratic document, a complete waste of Canadian taxpayer money.I expect liar Rosalie Abella, Irwin Cotler, B’nai b’rith et al, Bibi, IDF and their mass murdering thugs are delighted with this gift of lies and Zionist dung by Canadian taxpayers.
Nou@NFGC23:
This IHRA definition is indefensible and basically Orwellian propaganda.
@AzraRashid:
I find it particularly insulting that they have disabled comments. We are not allowed to have a say on this apparentlyOf course not, having a say is antisemitic!
Colonialism, racism and the IHRA, The primary goal of the IHRA is a mechanism to suppress advocacy for Palestinian rights by Harsha Walia, September 5, 2024
In June 2024, after years of advocacy from Palestinian and Jewish families, the Toronto District School Board voted to include anti-Palestinian racism as part of its Combating Hate and Racism strategy. While many people saw this as long overdue, a number of pro-Israeli organizations almost immediately began campaigning to have the decision reversed. Some even went so far as to suggest that anti-Palestinian racism is an oppressive and antisemitic framework, and called on the TDSB to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism instead.
Antisemitism must be vigorously challenged as a pillar of Eurocentric white supremacy.
Zionism is a specific political ideology and form of ethnonationalism that drove the establishment of the state of Israel and maintains the illegal occupation of Palestine.
The Zionist mantra of “a land without a people for a people without a land” parallels the settler-colonial ideology of terra nullius (barren land) that led to the colonization of the Americas. But Palestine was not a land without people. The land purchase agency for the Zionist project was actually called “The Jewish Colonization Agency,” and Israeli civilians call themselves “settlers” and refer to their colonies (recently deemed illegal under international law by the International Court of Justice) as “settlements.”1
Conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism suppresses dissent to settler-colonial Israeli state violence and Israeli apartheid, and also actively perpetuates anti-Palestinian racism. The report “Anti-Palestinian Racism: Naming, Framing and Manifestations” identifies anti-Palestinian racism through its many forms, including “denying the Nakba and justifying violence against Palestinians; failing to acknowledge Palestinians as an Indigenous people with a collective identity, belonging and rights in relation to occupied and historic Palestine; erasing the human rights and equal dignity and worth of Palestinians; excluding or pressuring others to exclude Palestinian perspectives, Palestinians and their allies; defaming Palestinians and their allies with slander such as being inherently antisemitic, a terrorist threat/sympathizer or opposed to democratic values.”
A recent study reveals that slander of Palestinians as antisemitic is the most common subtype of anti-Palestinian racism in Canada.
IHRA definition: state-sanctioned anti-Palestinian racism
“When the State of Israel claims to represent all Jewish people, defenders of Israeli policy redefine antisemitism to include criticism of Israel.”—On Anti-Semitism: Solidarity and the Struggle for Justice.
A key legislative tool to suppress Palestinian human rights and institutionalize anti-Palestinian racism in Canada is the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) working definition of antisemitism, which the federal government and several provinces and municipalities have adopted.
The primary goal of the IHRA definition is not to fight antisemitism or to protect Jewish communities from racist attacks, predominantly carried out by white supremacists; it is a mechanism to suppress advocacy for Palestinian rights. Of the definition’s 11 examples, seven deem criticism of Israel or Zionism to be antisemitic. Even one of the definition’s original authors, Kenneth Stern, has condemned its anti-democratic and repressive impact on Palestinian rights.
In 2023, over 100 Palestinian human rights groups and global organizations including American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, urged the United Nations not to adopt the IHRA definition. They wrote “the UN should ensure that its vital efforts to combat antisemitism do not inadvertently embolden or endorse policies and laws that undermine fundamental human rights, including the right to speak and organize in support of Palestinian rights and to criticize Israeli government policies. For these reasons, we strongly urge the UN not to endorse the IHRA definition of antisemitism.”
Forty international Jewish organizations similarly write: “The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which is increasingly being adopted or considered by western governments, is worded in such a way as to be easily adopted or considered by western governments to intentionally equate legitimate criticisms of Israel and advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism, as a means to suppress the former.”
In a sweeping letter in 2020, a group of 122 Palestinian and Arab intellectuals also expressed their concerns about the IHRA definition and the cover it provides to a global military superpower: “There is a huge difference between a condition where Jews are singled out, oppressed and suppressed as a minority by antisemitic regimes or groups, and a condition where the self-determination of a Jewish population in Palestine/Israel has been implemented in the form of an ethnic exclusivist and territorially expansionist state.”
In Canada, the IHRA definition is opposed by an array of organizations, including the Canadian Labour Congress, Coalition of Palestinian Canadian Organizations, Independent Jewish Voices Canada, Canadian Federation of Students, BC Civil Liberties Association, Canadian Association of University Teachers, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Confédération des syndicats nationaux, Canadian Union of Postal Workers, and International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, as well as 40 faculty unions, 200 Jewish faculty, and over 650 Canadian academics, all of whom cite the threats to freedom of expression, academic freedom, and constitutionally-protected rights to oppose government policies.
A recent 2024 report “Combatting Anti-Palestinian Racism and Antisemitism: An Intersectional Approach to Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy,” states: “[C]onflating legitimate criticism of Israeli policies and actions with antisemitism makes it more difficult for the public to identify genuine antisemitism, thereby advertently putting Jews in danger. Further, insisting that Judaism/Jewishness means uncritical support for the policies and actions of a state that is widely and justifiably condemned for serious human rights violations is itself antisemitic, erases non-Zionist Jewish identities and histories, and also puts Jews at risk.” This report also highlights the systemic power imbalance between Palestinian and pro-Israel Jewish communities in Canada.
The IHRA definition continues to be pushed in Canada by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, B’nai Brith Canada, and other staunchly pro-Israel organizations. The 14-page report “IHRA’s True Intentions” by Canadians for Justice in Peace in the Middle East details how efforts to adopt the IHRA definition in Canada comes from an explicitly pro-Israel coalition that wants to subdue growing pro-Palestinian movements. Independent Jewish Voices has also painstakingly documented numerous examples where the IHRA definition has been used to silence the Palestinian solidarity movement in Canada through fabricated smears of antisemitism. Their report “Unveiling the Chilly Climate: The Suppression of Speech on Palestine in Canada” sheds light on the wave of suppression of pro-Palestinian speech, including intense reprisals, harassment, and intimidation faced by students, teachers, and organizations speaking in support of Palestinian rights.
The intensifying energies to implement the IHRA definition and escalating smears on advocacy for Palestinian human rights coincide with Gaza being subjected to one of the heaviest and most destructive bombing campaigns in modern history. Hospitals, schools, refugee camps, mosques, churches, residential buildings, UN shelters have all been destroyed. Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah harrowingly reports that children in Gaza are “the biggest cohort of pediatric amputees in history.” Almost two million Gazans have been displaced. These war crimes are in the context of Israel’s violent 76-year-long occupation of Palestine.
At this juncture in history, acting to urgently end the genocide of Palestinians and fighting antisemitism both necessitate the dismantling of colonialism and racism. This means we must be able to openly criticize Israel in the same way as any other state—especially settler-colonial and genocidal ones, including Canada. This includes education on Palestinian history and liberation; fighting anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, Zionism, anti-Indigenous racism, anti–Black racism, and anti-Arab racism as interconnected forms of racism; rejecting the adoption of the vague and problematic IHRA definition in educational institutions; and upholding the right of students and educators to teach Palestine and act for Palestinian rights, such as through university encampments, without reprisal. As Nelson Mandela said “In extending our hands across the miles to the people of Palestine, we do so in the full knowledge that we are part of a humanity that is one.”
Notes
1 As described by Jewish Voices for Peace “The political ideology of Zionism, regardless of which strain, has resulted in the establishment of a Jewish nation-state in the land of historic Palestine. In 1948, 750,000 Palestinians were expelled as part of that process, their homes and property confiscated. Despite recognition of their rights by the United Nations, their rights to return and be compensated have long been denied by the U.S. and Israel. In 1967, Israel occupied what is now known as the Occupied Palestinian Territories, putting millions of people under military rule. Longstanding systemic inequalities privilege Jews over Palestinians inside Israel and in the Occupied Territories.
Prime Minister announces new Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism Oct 16, 2024, Ottawa, Ontario
In the wake of Hamas’ large-scale terrorist attacks against Israel, the world was again reminded that antisemitism is not a relic of the past – it is a daily reality experienced by Jewish communities here in Canada and around the world. Antisemitism is not a problem for the Jewish community to confront alone. We all have an obligation to continue to speak up against it wherever and whenever it occurs.
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the appointment of Deborah Lyons as Canada’s new Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. Ms. Lyons will serve for a term of two years.
A respected diplomat with 25 years of experience in international relations, political affairs, security management, and development, Ms. Lyons previously served as Ambassador of Canada to Israel. She is a firm ally to the Jewish community and has a strong history of working with community organizations. Most recently, she supported peace and stabilization efforts in Afghanistan as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
As Canada’s Special Envoy, Ms. Lyons will lead efforts to combat antisemitism and preserve Holocaust remembrance here at home and around the world. She will serve as the head of Canada’s delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and will work with domestic and international partners to strengthen and promote Holocaust education, remembrance, and research worldwide, while continuing to implement our pledges from the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.
The Prime Minister thanked the Honourable Irwin Cotler for his tireless contributionsto enable mass murder of innocent women and kids and feed hate against non Zionists and those opposing Israel’s decades of crimes against humanity and leadership as Canada’s first Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, from 2020 to 2023. Mr. Cotler played a critical role in working to ensure the painful lessons of the Holocaust and the memories of those who lived through it are never forgotten. His leadership through a period of rising antisemitism, including co-chairing the National Summit on Antisemitism, will have a lasting impact on the government’s efforts to combat hate, however it may surface.
Quotes
“Today, in the aftermath of the horrific attacks against Israel, we reiterate to Jewish communities across Canada that we are standing with them. Ms. Lyons will be a critical voice in fighting antisemitism and preserving the memory of the Holocaust so that younger generations know the truth about what happened – and how antisemitism continues today. We all must confront antisemitism, hatred, and intolerance in all its forms so we can build a better, safer future for everyone.”
The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“Antisemitism is a daily reality for too many people from Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. The agonizing grief caused by the Hamas attacks on Israelis earlier this month must propel us to move forward together to combat antisemitism. I am proud to accept this role and responsibility, and I am committed to working with all levels of government, institutions, and stakeholders to promote Holocaust awareness and combat antisemitism here in Canada and abroad. By learning from our past, I believe that we can and will build a more just and inclusive future for all.”
Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism
Quick Facts
- The Holocaust was an unprecedented genocide perpetrated by the Nazi regime with the aim of annihilating all Jewish people. During the Holocaust, more than six million Jews – or approximately two thirds of Europe’s Jewish population – were murdered. In total, 11 million people were brutally killed by the Nazi regime, including through the genocide of Roma and Sinti populations, and the persecution of ethnic Poles, Soviet citizens, LGBTQI+ persons, people with disabilities, and political and religious dissidents.
- The position of Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism was created in 2020, as part of the federal government’s commitment to reinforce national and international efforts to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and the stories of survivors; combat antisemitism, hatred, and racism; and promote and defend democracy, pluralism, inclusion, and human rights.
- The Special Envoy works with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, and other implicated ministers and elected officials across all levels of government to inform and advance Government of Canada policy and programming.
Is the above cartoon anti-semitic or visualizing the bloody mass-murderring reality in Hiter and Bibi?
@JeremyAppel1025:
Under example 10 of IHRA, it’s antisemitic to compare “contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”
This would make a number of leading Holocaust historians, who argue Israel is committing genocide, antisemitic.
Melly Kelly@Melly2000036690:
This seems very Nazi like. We should be able to legitimately criticise all religions, political ideologies, states etc We were taught about the WW2 holocaust hence we are able to make those comparisons based on facts. Not, feelings. The apartheid, ethnic cleansing, illegal
occupation, dehumanisation, propaganda and the actual holocaust we are seeing with our own eyes. Live streamed.
MaKin@KiarKini:
This stuff by an Israeli minister could also have come from a member of the third Reich.
“Smotrich: It may be ‘justified’ to starve 2 million Gazans, but world won’t let us”
- The IHRA is an intergovernmental organization controlled by Zionist genocidaires/genocide enablers to help Israel and other colonizing entities to mass murder citizens so as to better steal their lands and resources.
dedicated to strengthening, advancing, and promoting Holocaust education, research, and remembrance.It includes 35 member countries, 10 observer countries, and eight partner organizations focusing on Holocaust‑related issues. - Canada joined the IHRA in 2009Harper Harper Harper – his firm is involved in using tech to help Israel experiment with mass murder of Palestinian kids, and adopted the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism in 2019, as part of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy. The definition serves as the foundation of the federal government’s engagement with Jewish communities and its work to tackle antisemitism. Strengthening the definition’s implementation is a core component of the Special Envoy’s mandate.
2015: Who is Harper standing beside? Mass muderer Bibi Netanyahu (and lots of other creepy powerful inhumane criminals)
- Since 2019, the Government of Canada has committed close to $100 million through its Anti-Racism Strategy, including $70 million to support community organizations addressing issues of anti-racism and multiculturalism But not if you are Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, Indigenous across the country.
- In 2022, the Government of Canada provided new funding to advance Holocaust education and combat antisemitism across the country, including by supporting the creation of new Holocaust museums in Montréal and Toronto, as well as a new home for the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.
- Canada doubled its annual contribution to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance last year. We continue to promote the Alliance and its working definition of antisemitism, an important tool used in efforts to combat antisemitic attitudes and behaviours – including Holocaust denial and distortion – both at home and abroad.
- Budget 2023 proposes to provide $49.5 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, to Public Safety Canada to enhance and expand the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program and allow it to be more responsive to the evolving security needs of communities.
Biographical Note
2024 Cartoon of Bibi Netanyahu’s mass murder of kids and innocents in Palestine being watched by the world in live time. Lies by Deb Lyon, ex supreme court of Canada judges notably Rosalie Abella, Irwin Cotler, Trudeau and the rest of our cowardly Zionist-owned politicians, can never kill the reality of the brutal racist hatred against Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians and mass global assault on freedom of speech (USA) and freedom of expression (Canada).
Deborah Lyons
October 16, 2023 Ottawa, Ontario
Deborah Lyons is a diplomat with 25 years of experience in international relations, political affairs, security management, and development.
Ms. Lyons previously served as Ambassador of Canada to Israel (2016 to 2020), Ambassador of Canada to Afghanistan (2013 to 2016), and Deputy Ambassador of Canada to the United States (2010 to 2013). She also held several senior positions at Global Affairs Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the Privy Council Office, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Prior to joining the Government of Canada, she owned and managed an environmental consulting firm.
From 2020 to 2022, Ms. Lyons served as the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. During this time, she spearheaded the UN’s support for peace efforts in Afghanistan, championed increased regional co-operation, led preparations for the successful 2020 Afghanistan donor conference, and oversaw the UN’s continued operations after the Taliban takeover in August 2021. She also advocated for measures to stabilize the region’s macroeconomic environment, which had been shaken by sanctions, facilitated sustained international engagement, and served as a strong and visible advocate for the rights of all Afghans.
For her work in Afghanistan, Ms. Lyons was recognized by the Community of Democracies with the Mark Palmer Prize during the 2019 UN General Assembly. This recognition is conferred by the non-governmental International Steering Committee of the Community of Democracies to a diplomat who has employed bold and effective means to encourage states and assist civil societies to advance democracy and human rights.A horrifying fucking farce Ms. Lyons presents us with her hate against Palestinians “Handbook.” Is this to counter the amazing justice-serving expression-protecting ruling in the David Miller case in UK?
Ms. Lyons holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of New Brunswick and completed studies at the National Defence College (now the Centre for National Security Studies).No person ought to have this position unless they are genocide experts and non Zionist.
Trudeau’s ‘IHRA handbook’ will foster persecution of Palestine activism, must be withdrawn: CJPME, Oct. 31, 2o24
Montreal, October 31, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) warns that the pro-censorship ‘IHRA handbook’ released today by Canadian Heritage will have a chilling effect on pro-Palestine speech and activism and demands it to be withdrawn immediately. Civil society, human rights groups, and faculty associations broadly oppose the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism (known as “IHRA”) because it purposefully conflates criticism of Israeli policy with antisemitism and is frequently deployed by supporters of Israel to unfairly shut down Palestinians perspectives.
CJPME warns that this seemingly innocuous handbook will result in public institutions persecuting people who criticize systemic racism within Israel, rather than fighting discrimination.
“After over a year of Canadians protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Trudeau has the audacity to publish a guide on how to crack down on pro-Palestine speech,” said Michael Bueckert, Vice President of CJPME.
“This anti-Palestine, pro-censorship handbook poses a direct threat to civil liberties and will target the critics of Israel’s atrocities, especially Palestinians. We urge Canadian institutions to reject the use of the handbook,” added Bueckert. More than 11,000 Canadians have e-mailed the Prime Minister asking for the handbook to be shelved.
Based on a preliminary analysis of Trudeau’s IHRA handbook, CJPME has identified several important ways that it maliciously and falsely labels pro-Palestine speech and actions as antisemitic. For example:
- The handbook claims that it is antisemitic to oppose the ideology of Zionism, which is defined only as support for Jewish self-determination in their ancestral homeland (ignoring the role of Zionism in the dispossession and oppression of Palestinians) (29). Case studies of antisemitic incidents include a social media post that says “you can’t be antiracist and Zionist” and that “Zionism is a racist & violent settler-colonial project (29), and a social media post that says “Israel has no right to exist” (30). CJPME warns that this will be used to silence Palestinian experiences of Zionism, including the Nakba.So when is Ms. Lyin’ Lyons going to order my website removed off the Internet because I oppose genocide and Zionism? Is she buddy buddy with criminal aquifer frac’er Gwyn Morgan?
- The handbook claims that it is antisemitic when Israel is “held to a double standard,” cast in an “especially negative light,” or when its “right to exist” is “question[ed]” (30, 47). CJPME notes that these are entirely subjective arguments that are routinely deployed by Israel’s supporters against any and all forms of criticism and protest that they deem to be excessive or unfair.
- Other examples of supposed antisemitism in the handbook include the disinvitation of a speaker from an event because she had served in the Israeli military (31); an Instagram post that said “Zionist genocide is the greatest act of aggression. It is the rootcause of the violence” and did not recognize Israel’s “right to defend itself during a time of war” (31); the suggestion that Israelis are “colonizers” (31); accusing Israelis of being “child murderers” (31); the use of the term “Zionist,” which the handbook insists should be treated as a proxy for “Jew” (32); and comparing Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza to the Holocaust (34).
I am only alive because my family hid my mother (who had a Jewish father) from Hitler’s mass murderers (which Bibi is copying in full bloody colour)
The handbook was produced under the leadership of Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. Earlier this year, CJPME issued a report titled “Defaming the Pro-Palestine Movement” which revealed how Lyons was consistently spreading false and malicious claims about pro-Palestine activists – misrepresenting protests, slogans, and pro-Palestine positions as antisemitic – and routinely advocating for the suppression of nearly all types of pro-Palestinian protest.
The report concluded that Special Envoy Lyons’ behaviour showed a pattern of anti-Palestinian racism and inappropriate collaboration with Israeli officials.
“Trudeau handpicked Lyons, the former Ambassador to Israel, to produce a guide on how to suppress Palestinians who are speaking out against Israel’s racist practices. At Trudeau’s behest, Lyons has worked with Israeli officials and pro-Israel groups to design a document which is intended to shield Israel from even the mildest criticism of its policies. With this handbook, Trudeau is choosing to protect the ideology of Zionism over the Charter rights of Canadians,” said Alex Paterson, Senior Director of Parliamentary Affairs of CJPME. How much sea-front Gaza land and money did the Zionists promise Colter, Trudeau, Abella, Morgan, Lyons, etc.? That’s what I want to know.
CJPME reiterates the view that IHRA is designed to suppress Palestinian perspectives, including critical scholarship on core legal concepts like apartheid and genocide, and should therefore be understood as a form of state-sponsored anti-Palestinian racism.
Last year, CJPME joined more than 100 civil society organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, as well as Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups, to warn the United Nations against adopting IHRA. In Canada, groups that oppose IHRA include Independent Jewish Voices Canada, the BC Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Confédération des syndicats nationaux, and over 40 faculty associations and academic unions. Instead of adopting IHRA, CJPME urges alternative definitions of antisemitism which do not reproduce these harms, such as the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism.
About CJPME – Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is a non-profit and secular organization bringing together men and women of all backgrounds who labour to see justice and peace take root again in the Middle East. Its mission is to empower decision-makers to view all sides with fairness and to promote the equitable and sustainable development of the region.
For more information, please contact: Michael Bueckert, VP CJPME: 613-315-7947 or email hidden; JavaScript is required.
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East www.cjpme.org
Bibi finances Hamas and has publicly stated Hamas is an Israeli asset. Oct 7, 2023 is being used to 1) mass murder innocent kids and women and 2) wipe Palestine off the world map and steal her oil, gas, water, olive groves, lands, history, culture, education, health, foods, etc., i.e. Genocide.
Bibi not only engages in mass murder of Palestinians, he kills his own citizens to get away with it. Not many monsters in the world are as vile as Zionists are.
This cartoon in La Presse, called out for being antisemtic, was removed by La Presse and apologized for. But in my view of the horrific crimes by Zionism over many decades and Bibi’s brutal mass murdering, terrible evil and blood thirst cruelty, the cartoon has blurred edges.
I post it here for comparison of Ms. Lyon’s hate and racism farming “handbook” misusing the IHRA definition of anti-semitism and reality:
March 2024: Cartoon published in La Presse, later removed for being anti-semetic. I ask you, who is being hateful? Who is more harmful to the public interest and humanity? This cartoonist and La Presse or Ms. Lyons, J Trevor Brown, our gov’t and Mr. Karimjee?
Defaming the Pro-Palestine Movement: Looking at the Public Commentary of Canada’s Special Envoy Deborah Lyons by CJPME July 2024
The paper analyzes the role and actions of Special Envoy Deborah Lyons, appointed by the Canadian government to combat antisemitism following 7 October. It highlights how her collaboration with Israeli officials and promotion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism work to suppress Palestinian perspectives and legitimate criticism of Israeli apartheid. The paper argues that Lyons’ misrepresentation of pro-Palestinian activism and slogans as antisemitic underscore systemic issues of racism and bias within Canadian governance structures and, thus, advocates for her removal.
Introduction
On October 16, 2023, the Canadian government appointed Deborah Lyons, former Ambassador of Canada to Israel (2016-2020), as the new Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.[1] Unlike the Office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia (led by Amira Elghawaby), which is singularly located in Canadian Heritage, Special Envoy Lyons’ office is a joint unit of Canadian Heritage and Global Affairs Canada, bringing her role into the realm of international relations. Her mandate, coming directly from the Prime Minister, involves promoting the controversial and anti-Palestinian International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism (IHRA),[2] including the creation of an IHRA handbook,[3] purportedly to help civil servants, politicians, and police departments apply it to real-world situations.
Critics have long warned that IHRA conflates legitimate criticism of Israel and Zionism with antisemitism.
For that reason it has long been understood as a threat to the full exercise of Canadians’ Charter Rights, as it targets political expression including criticism of Israeli policies and activism for Palestinian rights.[4]
However …
Slides above from Ernst presentations
CJPME argues that IHRA is an instrument intended to suppress Palestinian perspectives, as well as the discussion of key concepts in international law such as apartheid. IHRA should therefore be understood as a form of state-sponsored anti-Palestinian racism.[5] As such, many groups have spoken out against the IHRA definition and have recommended alternative definitions of antisemitism which do not reproduce these harms, such as the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism.[6] Internationally, more than 100 human rights and civil society organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have warned the United Nations against adopting IHRA.[7] In Canada, groups that oppose IHRA include Independent Jewish Voices Canada, the BC Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Confédération des syndicats nationaux, and over 40 faculty associations and academic unions.[8]
Underlining these significant concerns are Special Envoy Lyons’ own comments. In a webinar hosted by the pro-Israel organization B’nai Brith Canada on January 30, 2024, Special Envoy Lyons warned the audience that they should expect significant pushback related to the ‘anti-Zionism’ and ‘anti-Israel’ -related material in the forthcoming IHRA handbook.[9] This is a strong indication that pending government materials on IHRA will attempt to maliciously label pro-Palestine speech and actions as necessarily antisemitic, and thereby attempt to eliminate public debate on the current and historic harms inflicted on Palestinians.
Special Envoy Lyons’ mandate began shortly after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by armed Palestinian groups under the leadership of Hamas, and Israel’s subsequent assault and siege on Gaza, and coincided with the rise of weekly mass demonstrations across Canada in support of Palestinian human rights.
Since then, she has engaged in regular public commentary to demonize pro-Palestine demonstrations, frequently mischaracterizing protests to falsely paint them as antisemitic. By uncritically reproducing the bad-faith claims levelled by pro-Israel organizations against pro-Palestine protests, her office appears to be engaging in a strategy to defame and delegitimize the Palestine solidarity movement based on misinformation and fearmongering, while encouraging police to repress demonstrations across Canada.
Special Envoy Lyons’ routine conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism demonstrates that concerns about the dangers of IHRA are justified. To investigate this further, CJPME reviewed Special Envoy Lyons’ tweets from the creation of her Twitter account in October 2023 to March 1, 2024. This analysis has identified a few significant patterns, revealing that she has dangerously misused her public platform and authority in the following ways:
- Special Envoy Lyons has consistently misrepresented Palestine protests as antisemitic;
- Special Envoy Lyons has consistently misrepresented pro-Palestine slogans, perspectives, and positions as antisemitic; and
- A significant part of Special Envoy Lyons’s role includes collaboration with Israeli officials.
Anti-Palestinian racism, as described by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA), “is a form of anti-Arab racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, defames or dehumanizes Palestinians or their narratives,” and includes “defaming Palestinians and their allies with slander such as being inherently antisemitic, a terrorist threat/sympathizer or opposed to democratic values.”[10] Using this framework, Special Envoy Lyons’ behaviour clearly demonstrates a pattern of anti-Palestinian racism. This is particularly distressing coming from an official who is supposed to be tasked with anti-racism programming. Moreover, this points to a wider problem of systemic anti-Palestinian racism within the Federal government, which continues to permit and validate this toxic pattern of racism within its ranks, especially within the National Security context.
Special Envoy Lyons appears incapable, or uninterested, in undertaking an intersectional approach to antisemitism, which would situate the fight against antisemitism as part of a larger struggle against white supremacy, eurocentrism, and all forms of group hatred and systemic discrimination.[11]
Instead, her approach to antisemitism has involved consistently deploying racism against Palestinians, including by mobilizing police and other state agencies in strategies of repression.
Special Envoy Lyons must therefore be removed from her role. She has proven herself incapable of distinguishing between antisemitism and legitimate criticism and protest of Israel’s structurally racist policies, and she routinely advocates for nearly all types of protest to be shut down or even prosecuted. In doing so, her advocacy threatens to justify the suppression of Charter and civil rights on political expression, and reproduces harm against Palestinian Canadians. On the contrary, protest in support of Palestinian human rights is more necessary now than ever amid Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. It is evident that Lyons’ diplomatic experience and credentials in promoting bilateral relations with Israel do not equate to the necessary credentials for this role. Going forward, the position of Special Envoy should be filled by someone with actual credentials in anti-racism work.
1. Special Envoy Lyons has consistently misrepresented Palestine protests as antisemitic
Special Envoy Lyons has consistently spread false claims about many pro-Palestine demonstrations, levelling false accusations and misinformation in a way that is designed to paint the protests in a bad light. These blatant misrepresentations have subsequently been widely shared by elected officials, furthering the harm to the demonstrators, justifying harsh treatment by police and emboldening violent and racist counter-protests.
Below are a few examples.
Special Envoy Lyons spread misinformation about a Toronto “Hands Off Rafah!” protest on February 12th, falsely claiming that it targeted a Jewish hospital and amounted to an illegal protest targeting Jews. She wrote: “We will be calling Toronto’s Mayor and Chief of Police today to discuss how they will put a stop to this despicable targeting and attempted intimidation of Mount Sinai Hospital and Jews across Toronto and Canada. Leaders – at all levels – need to make clear that this is absolutely unacceptable. It is antisemitic, it is illegal and it is indecent” (Tweet 1).[12] However, reporting from the scene contradicts this narrative entirely, showing that the protest briefly passed by Mount Sinai hospital along its main route, during which time a demonstrator dressed as Spiderman scaled an awning with a Palestinian flag (as they had with many buildings along the route).[13] There is no evidence that the hospital was targeted, and it should be evident that waving a Palestinian flag is not inherently an antisemitic provocation. Moreover, it should also be noted that Mount Sinai hospital does not identify itself as a Jewish institution, and its public “About” page only describes itself as an academic hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.[14]
When activists affixed an Indigo bookstore with posters and red paint to protest CEO Heather Reisman’s financial support for “Lone Soldiers” in the IDF,[15] Special Envoy Lyons compared it to Kristallnacht, completely ignoring the legitimate and political nature of the protest: “Shameful that today, on the 85th anniversary of the Kristallnacht – a series of pogroms against Jewish-owned businesses, homes and places of worship in Germany + incorporated territories in 1938 – we witness the vandalism of a Chapters in Toronto” (Tweet 2).[16] Contrary to Special Envoy Lyons, there is no reason to believe that the unfortunate timing of the event was anything other than a coincidence. More importantly, this inflammatory comparison completely ignores the stated political motivation of the protest, which directly targeted Indigo CEO Reisman’s financial support for “lone soldiers” in the Israeli military.[17] Finally, the direct comparison of pro-Palestinian protestors to Nazis is an example of gross demonization meant to trigger and weaponize the historical trauma of the Holocaust.
Special Envoy Lyons shared a Tweet from the pro-Israel group Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) about an altercation at Concordia University on November 8, 2023, which claimed that Jewish students were being targeted by pro-Palestine protestors. She said: “These institutions should NOT be unsafe for Jewish students calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas. I call upon university presidents and administration to take action now” (Tweet 3).[18] However, reporting contradicts this narrative, showing a much more complicated picture in which tensions between two organizations tabling next to each other led to a confrontation, with the pro-Israel activists acting aggressively.[19]
Special Envoy Lyons mischaracterized a January 6th “Sidewalk Protest” on Toronto’s Highway 401 overpass at Avenue Road, claiming that protestors were targeting a Jewish neighbourhood. She wrote: “Many legitimate places to protest in Toronto & instead protesters chose dangerous overpass & peaceful neighborhood. Why? Many better venues for pro-Palestinian rallies. Why not there? A desire to intimidate and target specific communities. Why? Antisemitism, loud and clear” (Tweet 4).[20] However, this is contradicted by a statement from the protestors themselves, who clarify that they were not targeting anyone. They explain that the action was part of a series of demonstrations at multiple locations along the 401, that they chose the location due to its visibility and accessibility, and that they are local community members exercising their right to protest in their own neighbourhood.[21]
Special Envoy Lyons has demonized protests which target MPs at their constituency offices, sharing a statement from MP Kevin Vuong which says: “I will not be intimidated from standing up against hate & the increasingly violent acts of hatred we’re seeing spill out onto our streets. Peaceful assembly is your right, but no one has the freedom to harass, vandalize, or incite violence. #RuleOfLaw must prevail—not mob rule” (Tweet 5).[22] However, closer inspection of the poster in question indicates nothing problematic, only constituents protesting their own MP’s positions on Gaza. Even worse, Vuong himself was sharing a tweet from the far-right Jewish Defence League’s Meir Weinstein (@neveragainlive1)[23] who was referring to pro-Palestine groups as “Toronto Pro Hamas Gangs.”[24] It is completely unacceptable that a public official would amplify such dangerous smears from far-right sources against pro-Palestine organizers.
Special Envoy Lyons mischaracterized a protest at McGill University on February 22, 2024, which had set up a blockade on campus. She wrote: “Why blockade the Bronfman building specifically? This building hosts the management school. It is not an embassy or a political office. It is simply a building named for a Canadian Jewish family. The constant targeting of Jews is undeniably antisemitism” (Tweet 6).[25] However, according to the social media posts of the organizers, the protest was specifically targeting the Desautels Faculty located in the building due to its exchange programs with Israel’s Hebrew University and due to its “Start-Up Nation” courses that include trips to Israel.[26] Special Envoy Lyons either did not look up the actual political motivation for the protest, or she chose to pretend that it didn’t exist so that she could continue to defame the pro-Palestinian protestors and their cause.
The above is not an exhaustive list. As demonstrated, Special Envoy Lyons has a pattern of jumping to immediate conclusions about pro-Palestinian protests which confirm her most negative and bad-faith assumptions about them, while ignoring all evidence and reporting to the contrary. This is done without any care or concern for the impact of her actions on protestors, many of whom are young and racialized, including students, who are being unfairly maligned for legitimate activism targeting systemic racism. For a purported anti-racism professional to make such harmful accusations against young racialized activists is gobsmacking, and it underscores the complete lack of an intersectional or anti-oppressive framework in the Special Envoy’s office.
2. Special Envoy Lyons has consistently misrepresented pro-Palestine slogans, perspectives, and positions as antisemitic
Special Envoy Lyons has consistently misrepresented pro-Palestine slogans, perspectives, and positions, casting them as antisemitic to demonize pro-Palestine demonstrators. For example, she has shared a Tweet from CIJA which claims that “!! Anti-Zionism IS #Antisemitism !!” (Tweet 7).[27] However, Zionism[28] is the nationalist political ideology behind the creation of Israel, which promotes exclusive Jewish control over much of the region, including the illegal colonization of the currently occupied Palestinian territories through acts considered war crimes in Canadian law, like settlements. Many Palestinians, Jews, and others oppose Zionism for entirely legitimate reasons based on human rights grounds, especially due to Zionism’s role in ideologically justifying the dispossession and oppression of Palestinians.[29] Zionism continues to be a source of both ideological and material support for anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia, including in Canada.[30] Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of Palestinians are deeply opposed to Zionism due to their own historical experiences. Having a government official responsible for anti-racism programming refer to anti-Zionism as inherently antisemitic is therefore a major threat to freedom of expression and an erasure of Palestinians, especially their experiences of systemic racism. This would be akin to saying that opposition to settler-colonialism in the context of supporting Indigenous rights is inherently anti-white/European. This position undermines Canada’s ability to live up to its international obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to eradicate anti-Palestinian racism within Canada.
Special Envoy Lyons has also misrepresented and demonized the use of the popular Arabic term “Intifada.” Although it refers to popular uprising against oppression,[31] she has reproduced the false claim that the term refers specifically to the promotion of violence or terrorism against Jews in Israel and Canada. She shared a video of a protest in Toronto in which the crowd was chanting “Intifada, Intifada! Long live the intifada!”, and wrote: “Chanting for intifada (uprisings against Israel and Jews, including acts of violence and terror) in the streets of Toronto is a clear tactic of intimidation. The police must ensure that our streets are safe from hate, incitement and threats of violence” (Tweet 8).[32] While it may be reasonable to suggest that the term is viewed differently by different communities, it is completely unjustifiable for a public official to suggest that it could only mean incitement against Jews. This is a slanderous, ethno-centric allegation against the protestors which is only possible by erroneously defining an Arabic word and erasing the perspectives of Palestinians, and the spread of this misinformation threatens to incite harm against racialized protestors. Moreover, this interpretation of the word fails to understand the context of power, as Jewish Israelis are not an oppressed minority in the context of Israel and Palestine but benefit from a system of domination over Palestinians. Special Envoy Lyons is trying to reframe support for an uprising against oppression as an attack on a minority group to obscure the racial advantage currently maintained by Israel’s apartheid system.
Special Envoy Lyons has also demonized the use of the popular phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Although it is a call for freedom and equality in historic Palestine,[33] she has mischaracterized it as incitement to genocide.Coached by Zionists ex judge Rosalie Abella and Irwin Cotler? Special Envoy Lyons has alluded to this misinterpretation several times, including in her joint letter with an Israeli official, writing: “We condemn the incitement of hatred and violence [at pro-Palestine protests], including through chants which echo the Hamas charter with calls for the destruction of Israel and the targeting of Jews around the world.”[34] Most troublingly, she shared a statement from the Jewish Calgary Federation welcoming hate charges against a Calgary protestor who used the phrase “From the river to the sea…”, falsely accusing him of “publicly inciting hate” and hoping that the arrest would set a precedent in other cities (Tweet 9).[35] The charges against the protestor were later stayed,[36] as there was no basis for the allegations. Nonetheless, Special Envoy Lyons appears to support the idea of prosecuting those who use this term for hate speech. On the other hand, Special Envoy Lyons has nothing to say about the use of superficially similar phrases by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, whose coalition government asserts that the Jewish people have an “exclusive” right to the entire “Land of Israel” (including occupied Palestinian territory),[37] and whose party’s charter asserts that “between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty.”[38] Palestinian calls for freedom are deemed controversial, and possibly even criminal, while Israeli claims of supremacy are not.
Special Envoy Lyons expressed concern over Canada’s belated vote for a ceasefire at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), going as far as to imply that the non-binding and symbolic vote was antisemitic, and bringing up the Holocaust. As she wrote on Twitter: “(1/2) Many people in the Jewish community are disheartened and hurt by [Canada]’s decision to support today’s UN resolution. I have heard from so many of you and understand your concerns. Please know that my office and I are committed to standing with you to combat antisemitism” (Tweet 10),[39] continuing: “(2/2) and preserve Holocaust remembrance here at home and around the world. I will raise these serious concerns with Cabinet ministers this week and reiterate the importance and urgency of combatting antisemitism in all its forms” (Tweet 11).[40] Special Envoy Lyons raised this again in a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Joly two days later, noting the “deep anxiety & pain Canada’s Jewish community is feeling, especially after recent events in [Canada], [Israel], the UN & abroad,” which “reinforced the need for a whole of Cabinet approach to tackling antisemitism.”[41] This conflation of calls for a ceasefire, a mainstream demand for an end to violence by all parties, with hatred against Jews is disturbing, especially coming from a public official in an anti-racist role. It sends a message that it is antisemitic to criticize Israel’s military operations, its violence against Palestinians, or its violations of international law. At its root this argument serves to justify violence against Palestinians, implying that Canada’s complicity in the Holocaust and antisemitism requires condoning Israel’s contemporary crimes against Palestinians.
Special Envoy Lyons has also argued that anyone skeptical of unverified Israeli claims about Hamas atrocities on October 7 is directly violating the IHRA definition of antisemitism: “the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition on antisemitism says that unfairly isolating Israel/Jews, and holding them to an uneven standard is antisemitic. Refusing to believe Jewish women who were sexually assaulted during Oct 7 is a clear example” (Tweet 12).[42] Similarly, she shared a statement from the University of Alberta announcing the firing of the executive director of a sexual assault centre for signing an open letter which (in part) criticized those making unverified accusations against Palestinians of gender-based violence.[43] Given the still-controversial nature of the Israeli allegations of “systemic mass rape,”[44] it is a serious overreach to accuse someone of antisemitism, and even to support firing them, for raising questions that are being explored by the United Nations and other investigators. Meanwhile, Special Envoy Lyons has remained entirely silent on the many allegations of sexual violence against Palestinian women and girls committed by the Israeli military since October 7, as detailed by UN experts, [45] and she chose not to share a statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly on the subject.[46] This is far from an intersectional approach to gender-based violence.
3. A significant part of Special Envoy Lyons’s role includes collaboration with Israeli officials
Even though Special Envoy Lyons’ mandate is related to combatting antisemitism in Canada, a significant portion of her role appears to involve collaboration with Israeli officials, or otherwise deal with subject matter related to Israel. Th emphasis on building ties with Israeli officials is highly troubling given the ongoing International Court of Justice (ICJ) case into allegations of genocidal acts by the Israeli government in Gaza,[47] and pending arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israel’s top leadership for war crimes and crimes against humanity.[48] Nonetheless, this work is possible within her mandate because her Office is jointly housed between Canadian Heritage and Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and her primary manager is Jeffrey Marder, the head of global human rights in GAC. In contrast, the office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia is housed solely in Canadian Heritage and has no such international dimensions in its mandate. Special Envoy Lyons’ focus on Israel reinforces the impression that the issues of antisemitism and pro-Israel advocacy are deeply entangled in the work of her office. This may help to explain why a former diplomat to Israel was chosen for this role over someone with actual credentials in anti-racism.
Special Envoy Lyons has issued several statements since the attack by Palestinian armed factions on October 7 which discuss at length the harm to Israelis but do not express any sympathy for Palestinians whatsoever.[49] This is a stark asymmetry considering that Israel has killed over 30 times as many Palestinians as Israelis were killed on October 7. She has repeatedly advocated for Canada to assist in the Israeli government’s internal investigation into allegations of sexual violence committed by Hamas, rather than an independent investigation,[50] and she “applaud[ed]” a statement from the National Hockey League (NHL) in support of Israel’s national hockey team.[51]
Significantly, Special Envoy Lyons participated in a delegation to Israel in December 2023 “to show [Canada’s] support” to Israel. She shared photos from the trip indicating that she was toured around Israeli communities near Gaza by Israeli soldiers in uniform[52] (Tweet 13). Two days later, she issued a joint statement with Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel’s Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism, which talked about Israel’s “right and responsibility to defend itself and to protect its citizens.”[53]
This is a political argument, not a legal one (Israel does not have a right to self-defence in territories that it occupies[54]), and has the effect of offering unconditional support to Israel’s devastating siege on Gaza.
Special Envoy Lyons has shared many meetings with Israeli politicians, diplomats and figures, both in Canada and in Israel since becoming the Special Envoy. These include:
- Israel’s far-right Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, “to establish a link between our offices and [Canada] + [Israel] collaboration to combat antisemitism” (Tweet 14).[55]
- Israeli President Isaac Herzog (whose statements since October 7 have been referenced by the International Court of Justice as plausible evidence of Israel’s genocidal intent[56]), writing: “Great meeting with the President of Israel @Isaac_Herzog in Jerusalem to share [Canada’s] whole of society efforts to combat rising antisemitism + areas for [Israel] and [Canada] cooperation in addressing hate towards Jewish communities” (Tweet 15).[57]
- A delegation of Israelis to Canada, which included family members of hostages. “On Monday, Oct 30, I, with @MoedIddo, @JustinTrudeau, and @IrwinCotler, met with Israeli delegation of family members of victims and hostages from the horrific Oct 7 Hamas terrorist attack. I will always carry these powerful, painful stories” (Tweet 16).[58]
- Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, who was appointed by Israel’s far-right government (Tweet 17).[59]
While the content of the above meetings is ostensibly about antisemitism in some way, it is not clear why her role involves so much contact with representatives of the State of Israel. Collaborating with Israel on matters of racism is particularly problematic given that the human rights community has accused Israel of practicing apartheid against Palestinians.[60] This reinforces the impression that her office is more concerned with the policing of speech critical of Israel than it is with combatting systemic oppression in our communities. Weaponizing the fight against antisemitism to protect Canada’s military and trade alliance with a government that is killing tens of thousands of Palestinians in territory it militarily occupies is completely intolerable, and exposes a deep-seated hypocrisy on behalf of the Trudeau government.
Conclusion
The above analysis points to a problem of structural racism within Canada’s bureaucracy, and in particular, outlines a pattern of racist behaviour by Special Envoy Deborah Lyons of mispresenting pro-Palestinian demonstrations, slogans, and perspectives in a way that unfairly defames them as antisemitic. Moreover, her close collaboration with Israeli state officials politicizes and muddies the mandate of her office, and underlines the Trudeau government’s ongoing conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism. CJPME has no confidence in Lyons’ ability to evaluate or delineate the boundaries of legitimate speech in a way that safeguards Charter rights and freedoms of Palestinian Canadians and their supporters. Instead, both her public mandate and personal political agenda threaten to criminalize public expression and silence those who are calling for an end to the mass violence and systemic oppression in Palestine. This is particularly troubling given Lyons’ close collaboration with police departments, as her harmful demonization of Palestinian perspectives and her calls for greater police action against demonstrators could contribute to heavy-hand and discriminatory police repression of protests.
Special Envoy Lyons must be removed from her role, and the Prime Minister must ensure the next Special Envoy approaches antisemitism in an intersectional manner, without engendering anti-Palestinian racism. As CJPME and partners have recently urged the government, “Canada’s policy approach to antisemitism must not harm the ability of Palestinians and their allies to address their experiences of structural racism in Canada and in Israel.”[61]
CJPME re-emphasizes its opposition to the adoption of IHRA working definition and maintains that there are ways to fight antisemitism without censoring or reproducing harm against Palestinians and their allies. Respected definitions like the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA), which was developed by scholars from the fields of Holocaust history, Jewish studies, and Middle East studies with the intent of “providing clear guidance to identify and fight antisemitism while protecting free expression,”[62] provide less controversial frameworks through which to address antisemitism. Unlike IHRA, the JDA delineates instances of antisemitism while affirming the legitimacy of most forms of speech and protest. An approach to anti-racism in Canada cannot prevent Palestinians and their supporters from advocating for their own rights or naming the forms of racism and oppression that they face, whether here in Canada or within territories controlled by Israel.
[1] Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, “Prime Minister announces new Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism,” October 16, 2023, https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2023/10/16/prime-minister-announces-new-special-envoy-preserving-holocaust
[2] Government of Canada, “Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism,” accessed May 9, 2024, https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/human_rights-droits_homme/holocaust_antisemitism-holocauste_antisemitisme-rep.aspx?lang=eng#a2
[3] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, “Preserving Holocaust remembrance and creating safer communities,” May 5 2024, https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2024/05/05/preserving-holocaust-remembrance-and-creating-safer-communities
[4] For detailed analysis and resources on the IHRA working definition, see the “No IHRA” campaign by Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV), https://www.noihra.ca/.
[5] CJPME, “Anti-Palestinian Racism in Canada: CJPME’s 2022 Report,” December 2023, https://www.cjpme.org/apr_report_2022
[6] “The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism,” https://jerusalemdeclaration.org.
[7] Joint Letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Under Secretary-General Miguel Ángel Moratinos, “Human Rights and other Civil Society Groups Urge United Nations to Respect Human Rights in the Fight Against Antisemitism,” Human Rights Watch, April 2023, https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/04/human-rights-and-other-civil-society-groups-urge-united-nations-respect-human
[8] IJV, No IHRA campaign, “Partners,” https://www.noihra.ca/partners; IJV, No IHRA campaign, “Faculty against the IHRA definition,” https://www.noihra.ca/academic-campaign.
[9] These remarks were made during the same Zoom session in which then-BC Minister Selina Robinson made racist anti-Palestinian remarks, eventually leading to her resignation. B’nai Brith Canada has since made the video “private” on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsSxLYqHTk0&t=5757s
[10] Arab-Canadian Lawyers Association, “Anti-Palestinian Racism: Naming, Framing and Manifestations,” April 2022, https://www.canarablaw.org/our-work; CJPME Factsheet no. 227, “Anti-Palestinian Racism,” July 2022, https://www.cjpme.org/fs_227
[11] “Combating Anti-Palestinian Racism and Antisemitism: An Intersectional Approach to Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy,” Joint Submission from Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA), Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV), and Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council (CMPAC), issued May 2024, https://www.cjpme.org/anti_racism_strategy_recommendations_2024
[12] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, February 13, 2024, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1757396928382337371?s=20
[13] David Gray-Donald, “What happened outside Mount Sinai Hospital as a pro-Palestine rally passed by?” The Grind, February 14, 2024, https://www.thegrindmag.ca/what-happened-mount-sinai-hospital-palestine-rally-passed-by/; Ben Cohen, “Police investigating amid backlash over pro-Palestinian protesters outside Mount Sinai Hospital,” Toronto Star, February 14, 2024, https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/police-investigating-amid-backlash-over-pro-palestinian-protesters-outside-mount-sinai-hospital/article_6118aee0-ca91-11ee-8ff5-a3655943179b.html
[14] “About Mount Sinai Hospital,” Mount Sinai Hospital, accessed May 9, 2024, https://www.mountsinai.on.ca/about_us/about-mount-sinai
[15] Martin Lukacs, “In stunning pre-dawn raids, Toronto police ‘terrorize’ Palestine activists,” The Breach, November 24, 2023, https://breachmedia.ca/toronto-police-pre-dawn-raids-palestine-activists-indigo/; Naomi Klein, “Naomi Klein to Heather Reisman: Charges must be dropped against Indigo 1,” The Breach, November 20, 2023, https://breachmedia.ca/naomi-klein-calls-on-heather-reisman-drop-charges-indigo-11/; Marco Chown Oved, Joshua Chong, and Ben Cohen, “The case of the Indigo 11: How an act of vandalism became a flashpoint in Toronto,” Toronto Star, January 8, 2024, https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/the-case-of-the-indigo-11-how-an-act-of-vandalism-became-a-flashpoint-in/article_3866e248-9835-11ee-b918-bb9ed9937e42.html; CJPME Factsheet 238, “Boycott Campaign: Indigo Books & Music Inc.”, December 2023, https://www.cjpme.org/fs_238
[16] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, November 10, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1723077949279043999?s=20
[17] Reisman’s HESEG Foundation for Lone Soldiers encourages foreigners to join the Israeli army, an occupying power which oppresses the Palestinian people and commits systemic violations of human rights and international law, and continue their studies in Israel. CJPME Factsheet 238, “Boycott Campaign: Indigo Books & Music Inc.”, December 2023, https://www.cjpme.org/fs_238
[18] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, November 8, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1722368932122620101?s=20
[19] Nora Loreto, “Palestine Solidarity Activists Reject Claims About Concordia Altercations,” The Maple, November 11, 2023, https://www.readthemaple.com/palestine-solidarity-activists-reject-claims-about-concordia-altercations/; Katelyn Thomas, “What really happened at Concordia?” Montreal Gazette, November 10, 2023, https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/palestinian-israel-student-groups-say-they-never-wanted-clash-at-concordia
[20] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 31, 2024, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1741587724682047955?s=20
[21] Statement from Eglinton-Lawrence + Don Valley 4 Palestine (@ELDV4Palestine), January 8, 2024, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sJ7bh9cRBlQ3uD5bFV_XQoHleT3_BEvf/view
[22] Kevin Vuong (@KevinVuongMP), Tweet, December 14, 2023, https://x.com/KevinVuongMP/status/1735411449374429414?s=20
[23] Reportedly, Meir Weinstein left the Jewish Defence League in 2021, but his new website (https://israelnow.ca/) is filled with content related to far-right and racist Meir Kahane. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meir_Weinstein
[24] Meir Weinstein (@neveragainlive1), Tweet, December 13, 2023, https://twitter.com/neveragainlive1/status/1735387680232390674
[25] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, February 22, 2024, https://twitter.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1760721659022004630
[26] McGill Grad Students 4 Palestine and Divest McGill, Instagram Post, February 22, 2024, https://www.instagram.com/p/C3pqVTXggz-/; Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights at McGill, “The Deadly ‘Start-Up Nation,” The Tribune, February 20, 2024, https://www.thetribune.ca/opinion/the-deadly-start-up-nation-20022024/
[27] Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (@CIJAInfo), Tweet, November 4, 2023, https://twitter.com/CIJAinfo/status/1720983856948593039?s=20
[28] “Zionism,” Encyclopedia Britannica, October 19, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zionism;
[29] Edward W. Said, “Zionism from the Standpoint of Its Victims,” Social Text, Number 1 (Winter, 1979), https://doi.org/10.2307/466405; Jewish Voice for Peace, “Our Approach to Zionism,” n.d., https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/resource/zionism/
[30] Jasmin Zine, “The Canadian Islamophobia Industry: Mapping Islamophobia’s Ecosystem in the Great White North,” Islamophobia Studies Center, Berkely, California, 2022.
[31] Respond Crisis Translation, “Mistranslating the movement: Language is being weaponized to malign the Palestinian liberation movement and justify an ongoing genocide,” November 2, 2023, https://respondcrisistranslation.org/en/newsb/20231102-mistranslating-the-movement; Mira Fox, “So what does ‘intifada’ actually mean?,” Forward, December 15, 2023, https://forward.com/culture/573654/intifada-arabic-israeli-hamas-war-meaning-linguistics/
[32] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 24, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1739046203579330651?s=20
[33] Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV), “’From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ Is not Hate Speech,” November 14, 2023, https://www.ijvcanada.org/from-the-river-to-the-sea-palestine-will-be-free-is-not-hate-speech/; Yousef Munayyer, “What Does ‘From the River to the Sea’ Really Mean?”, Jewish Currents, June 11, 2021, https://jewishcurrents.org/what-does-from-the-river-to-the-sea-really-mean
[34] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 5, 2023, https://twitter.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1732194402242539926
[35] “We thank @CalgaryPolice for taking swift action against the protester who was publicly inciting hate. This arrest will hopefully set a precedent not only in Calgary but in other cities. [1/2],” and “There has been an alarming increase around the use of known antisemitic phrases and it is important that they are being called out as hate speech and prosecuted as such. [2/2]”. Jewish Calgary (@Jewishcalgary), Tweets, November 7, 2023, https://x.com/Jewishcalgary/status/1722070188814954580?s=20 and https://x.com/Jewishcalgary/status/1722070190400188884?s=20
[36] Duncan Kinney, “Hate crime charge dropped against Calgary man who led, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ chant,” Progress Report, November 17, 2023, https://www.theprogressreport.ca/hate_crime_charge_dropped_against_calgary_man_who_led_from_the_river_to_the_sea_palestine_will_be_free_chant
[37] “Judicial reform, boosting Jewish identity: The new coalition’s policy guidelines,” Times of Israel, December 28, 2022, https://www.timesofisrael.com/judicial-reform-boosting-jewish-identity-the-new-coalitions-policy-guidelines/
[38] Likud Party: Original Party Platform (1977), Jewish Virtual Library, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/original-party-platform-of-the-likud-party
[39] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 12, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1734762018861629749?s=20
[40] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 12, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1734762021772517517?s=20
[41] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 14, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1735451568319730053?s=20
[42] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 3, 2023, https://twitter.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1731371662040240190
[43] University of Alberta (@UAlberta), Tweet, November 18, 2023, https://twitter.com/UAlberta/status/1725988052454326510?s=20
[44] While allegations of sexual violence by Hamas on October 7 are being investigated by various Israeli, UN, and international bodies, authorities have struggled to verify many claims while others have completely fallen apart and have been discredited. One influential New York Times story, which alleged systemic mass rape on October 7, has completely fallen apart in the face of questions about the reliability of its sources and its editorial standards. Getting an accurate appraisal of the events of October 7 has been complicated by the Israeli government’s exploitation of sexual violence claims to justify its military operations in Gaza, severely politicizing the issue. In March, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict concluded that there were “reasonable grounds” to conclude that conflict-related sexual violence took place at the Nova music festival, but it did not find a pattern of widespread of systemic sexual violence. The report, which relied heavily on official Israeli sources, was unable to verify incidents of rape in other locations, and determined that at least two widely-reported incidents were actually “unfounded.” United Nations, “Reasonable Grounds to Believe Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Occurred in Israel During 7 October Attacks, Senior UN Official Tells Security Council,” March 11, 2024, https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15621.doc.htm; Feminist Solidarity Network for Palestine, “Here’s what Pramila Patten’s UN report on Oct 7 sexual violence actually said,” Mondoweiss, March 11, 2024, https://mondoweiss.net/2024/03/heres-what-pramila-pattens-un-report-on-oct-7-sexual-violence-actually-said; Jeremy Scahill, Ryan Grim, and Daniel Boguslaw, “Between The Hammer And The Anvil: The Story Behind the New York Times October 7 Exposé,” The Intercept, January 28, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/02/28/new-york-times-anat-schwartz-october-7/; Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim, “Kibbuz Be’eri rejects story in New York Times October 7 exposé: ‘They were not sexually abused,’” The Intercept, March 4, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/03/04/nyt-october-7-sexual-violence-kibbutz-beeri/; Arun Gupta, “Claims of Mass Rape by Hamas Unravel Upon Investigation,” Yes! Magazine, March 5, 2024, https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2024/03/05/israel-hamas-oct7-report-gaza; Liza Rozovsky and John Breiner, “Israeli Police Ask Victims and Witnesses to Testify About Hamas Sexual Violence,” Haaretz, January 4, 2024, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01-04/ty-article/.premium/israeli-police-ask-victims-and-witnesses-to-testify-about-hamas-sexual-violence/0000018c-d580-d751-ad8d-ffa4acf40000; New York Times, “Israeli Soldier’s Video Undercuts Medic’s Account of Sexual Assault,” March 25, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/25/world/middleeast/video-sexual-assault-israel-kibbutz-hamas.html; Literary Hub, “A Call From the Journalism Academy for an External Review at The New York Times,” April 30, 2024, https://lithub.com/a-call-from-the-journalism-academy-for-an-external-review-at-the-new-york-times/
[45] United Nations, “UN experts appalled by reported human rights violations against Palestinian women and girls,” February 19, 2024, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/israelopt-un-experts-appalled-reported-human-rights-violations-against
[46] Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly), Tweet, February 21, 2024, https://x.com/melaniejoly/status/1760435093342986384
[47] International Court of Justice, Order, Application Of The Convention On The Prevention And Punishment Of The Crime Of Genocide In The Gaza Strip (South Africa V. Israel), January 26, 2024.
[48] International Criminal Court, “Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC: Applications for arrest warrants in the situation in the State of Palestine,” May 20, 2024, https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-kc-applications-arrest-warrants-situation-state
[49] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 5, 2023, https://twitter.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1732194402242539926
[50] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, “We strongly support the call … [for Canada] to contribute to the investigation of sexual violence used by Hamas & to support victims & witnesses,” December 31, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1741475201148215697?s=20; Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, “We were pleased with the response from the Prime Minister and will follow up with Global Affairs & Public Safety this week…” December 31, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1741475207083081859?s=20; Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, “Also met with @MarciIen Minister for Women, Gender Equality and Youth to discuss importance of engaging youth on combatting antisemitism + promote a more active role that [Canada] can play on advocating for women and against #SGBV that occurred during 7/10 horrific Hamas attack on [Israel],” December 15, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1735679728978464821?s=20
[51] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, January 13, 2024, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1746279839202517196?s=20
[52] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 3, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1731371652955410792?s=20
[53] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 5, 2023, https://twitter.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1732194402242539926
[54] Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations recognizes the right of self-defence in the case of armed attack by one state against another, but the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determined in 2004 that it has “no relevance” in the case of Israel’s actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories where Israel already exercises military control (ICJ, Advisory Opinion of July 9 2004). As explained by Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel “cannot claim the right of self-defence against a threat that emanates from a territory it occupies, from a territory kept under belligerent occupation.” Instead, Israel is bound by the laws of occupation, which are much more restrictive and oblige Israel to protect the occupied population. Al Jazeera, “Does Israel have the right to self-defence in Gaza?” November 17, 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/17/does-israel-have-the-right-to-self-defence-in-gaza; Noura Erakat, “Five Israeli Talking Points on Gaza—Debunked,” July 25, 2014, https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/five-israeli-talking-points-gaza-debunked/
[55] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 12, 2023, https://twitter.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1734564851878396336?s=20
[56] In its initial order, the ICJ quoted the following statement of Israeli President Herzog as an example of dehumanizing and possibly genocidal language: “We are working, operating militarily according to rules of international law. Unequivocally. It is an entire nation out there that is responsible. It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved. It is absolutely not true. They could have risen up. They could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’état. But we are at war. We are at war. We are at war. We are defending our homes. We are protecting our homes. That’s the truth. And when a nation protects its home, it fights. And we will fight until we’ll break their backbone.” International Court of Justice, Order, Application Of The Convention On The Prevention And Punishment Of The Crime Of Genocide In The Gaza Strip (South Africa V. Israel), January 26, 2024.
[57] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, December 8, 2023, https://twitter.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1733189321702715483?s=20
[58] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, October 31, 2023, https://x.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1719524386024063124?s=20
[59] Deborah Lyons (@DeborahLyonsSE), Tweet, October 31, 2023, https://twitter.com/DeborahLyonsSE/status/1719522862921404538?s=20
[60] Amnesty International, “Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel system of domination and crime against humanity,” February 1, 2022, https://amnesty.ca/human-rights-news/israels-apartheid-against-palestinians-a-cruel-system-of-domination-and-a-crime-against-humanity/; Human Rights Watch, “A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution,” April 27, 2021, https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution; B’Tselem, “A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid,” January 12, 2019, https://www.btselem.org/publications/fulltext/202101_this_is_apartheid; United Nations, “Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territory is ‘apartheid’: UN rights expert,” March 25, 2022, https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1114702.
[61] “Combating Anti-Palestinian Racism and Antisemitism: An Intersectional Approach to Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy,” Joint Submission from Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA), Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV), and Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council (CMPAC), issued May 2024, https://www.cjpme.org/anti_racism_strategy_recommendations_2024
[62] “The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism,” https://jerusalemdeclaration.org.
***
Zionists, genocidaires and their enablers lie as much and harmfully as frac’ers and their klan do.
Why lie if there is no harm from frac’ing and Zionism?
And, can murder even new born babies with impunity if you do not like where they live, or their culture, or skin colour, or religion, or the food they eat. Coming soon for us and ours. Zionists won’t stop hating after obliterating Palestine and those supporting peace for Palestinians in their own land.