"While it is true that Intifadas in Palestine have included violent events, they are fundamentally about resisting oppression. The resistance has been mixed, involving both violent and non-violent methods. To frame calls for an intifada as inherently violent is a gross misrepresentation and does a disservice to your readers."
July 25, 2024
Joe Bongiorno, Journalist, Canadian Press
Nancy Waugh, Managing Editor, CBC News
Brodie Fenlon, News Editor-in-Chief, CBC News
Andrea Baillie, Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Press
Tim Cook, Assistant Managing Editor, Canadian Press
Good day Mr. Bongiorno, Ms. Waugh, Mr. Fenlon, Ms. Baillie, Mr. Cook,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express my concern regarding your article titled “Montreal electronic traffic signs altered to display pro-Palestinian slogans,” published on July 25, 2024, by the CBC. I take issue with the manner you frame the meaning of “intifada.”
In your article, you correctly state that Intifada “means ‘shaking off’ in Arabic,” and was coined to describe an uprising against Israel's military occupation that erupted in 1987. However, you then undermine this accurate definition with the line, “In the second uprising, which began in 2000, Palestinian militants carried out deadly suicide bombings on buses and at restaurants and hotels, eliciting crushing Israeli military reprisals." Following this, you quote a CIJA spokesperson who falsely claims that intifada is “incitement to violence against Jews” and that it “refers to terror attacks.”
This framing is blatantly false. The term intifada is widely understood to mean a civil uprising. While it is true that Intifadas in Palestine have included violent events, they are fundamentally about resisting oppression. The resistance has been mixed, involving both violent and non-violent methods. To frame calls for an intifada as inherently violent is a gross misrepresentation and does a disservice to your readers.
Intifada has been repeatedly contextualized as a reasonable and non-violent protest chant within the Canadian context of pro-Palestine demonstrations. For the CBC to parrot CIJA’s baseless claims without providing balanced context is not only irresponsible but dangerous. Israel’s behavior these past ten months has rightly triggered international outrage, and such outrage should not be misrepresented by the CBC. Mr. Bongiorno should have done a much better job ensuring that this context was fairly included in the discussion.
While Mr. Bongiorno highlighted in an interview with IJV that the term doesn’t incite violence, this point of view is buried at the very end of the article. This prejudicial placement is irresponsible. Most readers primarily engage with an article's headline, lede, and nut graph, rarely reading the entire piece. Burying essential context and perspectives at the bottom fundamentally alters the audience's perception of the story. I strongly suggest moving the IJV quote higher up in the article where it can provide the necessary balance to CIJA’s claims.
Please consider these points and make the necessary revisions to ensure an unbiased portrayal of this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East