"Unless you are able to produce evidence supporting your claim, I am urging you to promptly correct this seemingly false claim that perpetuates negative stereotypes about Palestinians and their allies."
November 7, 2024
To: Bryan Passifiume, Journalist, Toronto Sun
Adrienne Batra, Toronto Sun
Dear Mr. Passifiume and Ms. Batra,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to express concern over the portrayal of the University of Calgary protest against former Israeli official Eylon Levy in your article titled “Ex-Israeli Government Official Says Antisemitism in Canada ‘Out of Control,’” published on November 4th. Your piece is riddled with factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations that demand correction.
First, the article characterizes the protest outside Levy’s talk as a violent and intimidating “mob” that allegedly “blocked doors” and engaged in hostile tactics. According to all available evidence, the protest was non-violent and did not prevent Levy from speaking to attendees. The only individuals impeding entry were campus staff and security personnel, a fact that has been clearly documented on video footage shared by Levy himself. This footage demonstrates that protestors neither blocked doors nor engaged in any violent actions. Unless you are able to produce evidence supporting your claim, I am urging you to promptly correct this seemingly false claim that perpetuates negative stereotypes about Palestinians and their allies.
The article’s opening paragraph claims that masked protestors were “pounding on doors” while shouting “Allahu akbar.” This assertion is not only false but dangerously misleading. Neither the video posted by Eylon Levy nor the videos shared by The Palestine Advocacy Club, which organized the protest, show protestors chanting this phrase. Any footage of “Allahu akbar” is entirely separate from the peaceful protest and was simply part of a call to prayer that occurred outdoors, away from the protest. Your failure to distinguish between these contexts troubles me regarding your perception of Islam. Moreover, there is no evidence to support your claim, which is absent in the coverage by other media, such as The Gauntlet and The Canadian Jewish News, which both reported on the same event. Reporting unverifiable information as fact constitutes a significant ethical breach. As stated in the Canadian Association of Journalists’ (CAJ) guidelines, journalists are expected to verify all facts and refrain from unsubstantiated assertions that may mislead readers. If you are not able to provide evidence for these claims, please remove them and include an editor’s note.
Your exaggerations of events and mischaracterizations of Pro-Palestine protesters perpetuate anti-Palestinian racism (APR) as defined by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA), implicitly associating Palestinian activism with terrorism. The narrative that Palestinians or their allies inherently pose a threat when engaging in peaceful protest constitutes APR.
As a member of Canada’s National NewsMedia Council, The Toronto Sun is obligated to deliver factually accurate reporting. If, however, The Toronto Sun’s mandate is to promote harmful stereotypes and defamatory narratives against Palestinians and their allies, your refusal to make the necessary corrections would make this clear.
Before you decide to print my letter and add it to your ridiculous office shrine of our legitimate concerns regarding your journalistic integrity, know that I will continue to monitor and publicly address your coverage if these ethical lapses persist,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East