Civic groups’ outrage over Israel‘s killing of Palestinians omitted

"It is not silly, however, but dangerous for you to inflame tensions by distorting the facts and pretending that “Jew” and “Israeli special forces” are synonyms. Torontonians can protest the latter without prejudice to the former: that this even needs to be said is a real shame."


October 23, 2023

To:

Rosa Hwang, Executive Producer, CTV News

Dan Taylor, Managing Editor, CTV News

Hannah Alberga, CTV News Toronto Multi-Platform Writer

Dear Rosa Hwang, Dan Taylor, and Hannah Alberga, 
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, cjpme.org) to demand correction of your Oct. 23 report, “‘Reprehensible antisemitism’: Protest outside Jewish-owned restaurant in Toronto condemned by public officials.

Your suppression of crucial details from this report is wrong and inflammatory.

Factual journalism must report the facts. If you refer to the website of the café in question, you will see, in the first sentence of the biography of the CEO, a proud association between the Israeli enterprise in question and experience in “THE ISRAELI SPECIAL FORCES.”

Now, Israeli forces have this month killed more than five thousand Palestinian civilians, according to this morning’s reports. Refer to the United Nations for the horrifying details.

For Torontonians to (1) be outraged by these killings and (2) to protest against those who openly associate themselves with those conducting the killings are news developments as predictable as the rising of the sun. If there are civic groups who consider this racist, i.e. antisemitic, perhaps that merits mention, but the claim itself is prima facie quite silly.

It is not silly, however, but dangerous for you to inflame tensions by distorting the facts and pretending that “Jew” and “Israeli special forces” are synonyms. Torontonians can protest the latter without prejudice to the former: that this even needs to be said is a real shame.

You must include details on the advertised association of this enterprise with Israeli armed forces experience. Your report as now written is a near-libellous distortion.

Feel free to contact me at 438-380-5410 if you would like to discuss this further.

Sincerely,

Dan Freeman-Maloy

PhD, University of Exeter

Postdoc, Canada Research Chair in Québec and Canadian Studies

Director of Strategic Operations

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East/

Canadiens pour la Justice et la Paix au Moyen-Orient