"The infrastructure for reporting antisemitism is relatively well-developed and robust because of the wide range of Canadian civil society and lobbying groups dedicated to this cause. Self-reporting methods for victims of anti-Palestinian racism are far less developed, however."
January 25, 2024
To:
Justin Chandler, Staff Reporter, CBC News
Brodie Fenlon, News Editor-in-Chief, CBC News
Dear Mr. Chandler,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express my concern regarding the article, “Hamilton police log 26 antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate incidents since the start of Israel-Hamas conflict,” published on January 24 by CBC News.
While I recognize your efforts to provide a well-balanced article on the rise in both antisemitic and anti-Palestinian hate crimes since Oct. 7, I’d like to make you aware of some ways your article can be improved.
Perhaps the most critical component that is missing from your article is the context regarding self-reporting of hate crimes and the plethora of reasons why Muslims and Palestinians are less likely to self-report hate crime incidents. The infrastructure for reporting antisemitism is relatively well-developed and robust because of the wide range of Canadian civil society and lobbying groups dedicated to this cause. Self-reporting methods for victims of anti-Palestinian racism are far less developed, however. In 2018, Parliament’s Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage also found that under-reporting was a predictable challenge in fighting racism among Muslim-Canadian communities because some victims have a “fear of engaging with the police” or that they may not be supported or believed if they did so.[1] To adhere to journalistic ethics, please contextualize the data included in your article with the information provided above.
Here is a brief list of resources regarding the under-reporting of anti-Palestinian hate crimes:
- Canadian Heritage Parliamentary Committee, Evidence, 1st Session, 42nd Parliament, 25 September 2017, 1640 (Ms. Shalini Konanur, Executive Director and Lawyer, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO).
- A report by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, titled “Anti-Palestinian Racism in Canada.”
- A report published in 2021 by Independent Jewish Voices, titled “The Use and Misuse of Antisemitism Statistics in Canada.”
While the inclusion of both Jewish and Muslim testimonies is appreciated, your placement of additional information regarding anti-Palestinian racism at the very end of your article is disappointing. While a representative of the Hamilton Jewish Federation has his testimony quoted within the first few paragraphs of the article, those who specifically provide additional information on anti-Palestinian racism are not quoted until the very end of your article. By consistently placing comments from one group above those from another, you implicitly suggest a hierarchy of perspectives to your readers.
Please include Palestinian and Muslim perspectives earlier in your article.
Based on the testimonies and information provided in your article, it seems clear that the instances of hate and racism can be described as “anti-Palestinian,” rather than anti-Muslim or Islamophobic. To be more accurate in your language, I would recommend that you edit the article’s headline to: “Hamilton police log 26 antisemitic and anti-Palestinian hate incidents since start of Israel-Hamas conflict.”
I hope that CBC will make these edits promptly.
Sincerely,
Rose Mardikian,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
[1] CHPC, Evidence, 1st Session, 42nd Parliament, 25 September 2017, 1705 (Ms. Shalini Konanur, Executive Director and Lawyer, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO)).