"Jon Mark must be held accountable for his role in allowing such racist and harmful content to be broadcasted without challenge. I question Mr. Mark’s journalistic integrity into question as at no point does he challenge the misinformation that Ms. Kurtz spews which crosses numerous lines of hatred."
June 18, 2024
To: CBSC
Date and Time of Broadcast:
June 16, 2024, at 3:00 PM
Name or Call Letters of the Broadcaster:
610 CKTB (Niagara's NewsTalk)
Dear CBSC
On behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, I am writing to express my deep concern and lodge a formal complaint regarding the episode of The Drive titled “Dahlia Kurtz, an award-winning radio talk show host, journalist, writer, and speaker - Antisemitism in Canada continued” hosted by Jon Mark, which featured Pro-Israel guest Dahlia Kurtz aired on June 17, 2024. The broadcast contained numerous instances of anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab racism.
CJPME believes that the false claims made by Ms. Kurts meet the definition of anti-Palestinian racism as defined by the Arab Canadians Lawyer Association.
Below are specific elements from the episode that meet the legal definition:
- Stereotyping and Dehumanizing Palestinians: The broadcast included references to a fictional "Terrorist Camp" where children are supposedly taught to commit acts of terror, including learning Arabic and handling AK47s. This grossly stereotypes and dehumanizes Palestinians, painting them as inherent threats.
- Denial of the Nakba: Kurtz stated that the Nakba (the catastrophe in Arabic) never happened and denied the existence of Palestinian history and identity, claiming that there has never been a country named Palestine.
- Calls for Violence: Ms. Kurtz implies repeatedly that violence against Palestinians and their supporters is justified, suggesting that “we need to take back our country” from these groups.
- Denial of Palestinian Indigenous Rights: Ms. Kurtz refuses to acknowledge Palestinians as an Indigenous people and instead perpetuates this false narrative that Jewish people are the only indigenous population in the region of the Levant.
- Erasure of Human Rights Violations: Ms. Kurtz denies that Israel is an apartheid regime and labels it as the only democracy in the Middle East, erasing the human rights abuses faced by Palestinians.
- Exclusion of Palestinian Perspectives: There were calls to exclude Palestinian perspectives from educational institutions notably the Toronto District School.
- Defamation and Slander: Palestinians and their allies were repeatedly defamed, being labeled as inherently antisemitic for opposing Israeli policies, supporting Palestine, or criticizing Zionism. Ms. Kurtz also equates support for Palestine with terrorism and opposition to democratic values.
These examples are just a fraction of the harmful and misleading content aired during the episode. I urge the CBSC to review this broadcast, take appropriate action, and ensure that such content is not aired in the future.
Moreover, I request that Jon Mark be held accountable for his role in allowing such racist and harmful content to be broadcasted without challenge. I question Mr. Mark’s journalistic integrity into question as at no point does he challenge the misinformation that Ms. Kurtz spews which crosses numerous lines of hatred.
These statements go against journalistic standards and propagate harmful misinformation and hate rhetoric. CJPME believes this type of hate rhetoric should not be aired on public airwaves and that it be taken down as it fosters division and incites prejudice and violence.
I await your response,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East