"Some of the inflammatory language in your article comes in the form of attributed quotes, e.g. Brad Bradford’s misleading reference to “Jewish-owned businesses” and Olivia Chow’s invocation of “antisemitism.” But you are still obliged to report the facts."
October 24, 2023
To:
Anne Marie Owens, Editor in Chief, Toronto Star
Donovan Vincent, Public Editor, Toronto Star
Mahdis Habibinia, Reporter, Toronto Star
Dear Anne Marie Owens, Donovan Vincent, and Mahdis Habibinia,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, cjpme.org) to implore correction of your misleading October 24 report, “Toronto mayor Olivia Chow condemns targeting of Israeli businesses during local protest.”
Your omission of the Israeli Special Forces connection from this piece is unjustifiable.
Some of the inflammatory language in your article comes in the form of attributed quotes, e.g. Brad Bradford’s misleading reference to “Jewish-owned businesses” and Olivia Chow’s invocation of “antisemitism.” But you are still obliged to report the facts.
By way of background on the café in question, you write, in misplaced invocation of the Holocaust: “According to the company’s website, the Landwer coffee brand originated in Berlin in 1919, before founder Moshe Landwer moved to Israel in the lead-up to the Holocaust. The brand was later revived in Tel Aviv in 2004; the chain grew to become one of Israel’s larger café chains before expanding to North America in 2017.”
At a bare minimum, you must add the following paragraph as a basic matter of fact:
“The café’s website prominently advertises the Israeli Special Forces background of CEO and co-founder Nir Caspi, a military link that protesters find provocative.”
The United Nations tells us that Israeli forces have this month alone killed more than 5,000 Palestinians in Gaza. To suggest that Torontonians who protest associates of the Israeli armed forces are just showing ethnic prejudice makes a travesty of the facts.
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