"It is abundantly clear that Toronto4Palestine did not deny the holocaust or that Hamas was responsible for October 7 but referred to misrepresentations of the Nakba by Israel and media falsehoods about October 7 in its almost 7-month-old now deleted post. To bring this up here is hard not to read as a bad faith and unnecessary smear on a leading pro-Palestine group in Toronto, especially without links to their statement or any real sense of the controversy and apparent misunderstanding."
June 4, 2024
To:
Donovan Vincent, Toronto Star
Allan Woods, Toronto Star
Dear Donovan Vincent and Allan Woods,
I’m writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express disappointment about a paragraph in the recent article “A U of T encampment protester was charged with assault. A video casts new light on what happened” by Allan Woods published on June 3, 2024.
You write:
Part of the video was posted Monday by Toronto4Palestine, a leading local protest group over the past eight months of the Israel-Hamas war that was accused of antisemitism in the days after the conflict began. At that time, it had posted a statement on social media that was widely seen to deny, without basis, that Hamas was responsible for the Oct. 7 attack and to cast doubt on the Holocaust. The group subsequently said the post was not meant to deny the Holocaust, and deleted it “upon realizing the potential for misinterpretation.”
While I understand that journalists choose the scope for their articles, it is unclear how this fits into the story being told. False allegations made against Toronto4Palestine almost seven months ago that were based on a misunderstanding (which the group has addressed) do not seem pertinent. It is abundantly clear that Toronto4Palestine did not deny the holocaust or that Hamas was responsible for October 7 but referred to misrepresentations of the Nakba by Israel and media falsehoods about October 7 (like beheaded babies) in its almost 7-month-old now deleted post. To bring this up here is hard not to read as a bad faith and unnecessary smear on a leading pro-Palestine group in Toronto, especially without links to their statement or any real sense of the controversy and apparent misunderstanding. This misunderstanding was only possible by extracting this specific story on Instagram from its broader context of discussing October 7 and the Nakba, as that obscured the referents. It is hard to imagine the Toronto Star referring to accusations of anti-Palestinian racism made against B’nai Brith when citing the pro-Israel advocacy group. So, why the double standard?
Please update the paragraph in question or at least provide links to Toronto4Palestine’s defense to be more balanced and fair in your coverage of this issue.
Sincerely,
Jason Toney
Director of Media Advocacy, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East