The organizations you name are, of course, well within their rights to advocate for whatever legislation they see fit, and we readily acknowledge that their stance on Israel is irrelevant when they comment on matters unconnected to Israel and Palestine. In this case, however, their support for Israel is clearly relevant to their advocacy of Bill C-9 and so to omit any mention of it deprives the reader of the context required to fully understand the perspective that informs key points of the joint statement to which you refer.
Dear CBC editorial team
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to provide feedback on your piece titled, “Anti-hate bill stalled after Fraser’s office brokered deal without PMO approval: sources,” which we believe omits important context.
Our concerns related to your reference to the “five Jewish groups” whose joint statement in support of Bill C-9 you cite.
That statement advocates for, among other things, (a) “New intimidation and obstruction offences protecting people entering schools, places of worship, and community centres and (b) “A new hate propaganda offence on the display of hate.” Your readers need to know that these five organizations are strongly pro-Israel so that they can understand the influence of that perspective on important portions of the statement.
Item (a), sometimes called “bubble laws,” has been described by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives as “anti-protest legislation.” Such laws have been heavily promoted on the noble grounds of combatting antisemitism. In practice, however, the demonstrations that purportedly justify their adoption often relate to matters that are clearly fair game for political protest, such as real-estate fairs promoting land sales in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, or speaking events by soldiers who have served in Gaza during a military campaign that a large number of international and Israeli experts describe as genocidal. Bubble laws essentially enable the organizers of politically-charged events to immunize them from protest by holding them in buildings deemed “off limits” to free speech.
Item (b) refers to a provision in the legislation that would criminalize the display of symbols associated with groups named in the Regulations Establishing a List of Entities. While that list contains a number of Palestinian organizations with no Canadian presence of which we are aware, it excludes the Jewish Defence League – an organization that the FBI itself “deemed a right-wing terrorist group” and which, despite having been previously viewed as inactive, has recently seen its symbols displayed at protests in Canada and birthed a Canadian offshoot called Israel Now, founded by a self-described “loyal disciple” of JDL founder and convicted terrorist Meir Kahane. Neither entity would be affected by the draft legislation.
The organizations you name are, of course, well within their rights to advocate for whatever legislation they see fit, and we readily acknowledge that their stance on Israel is irrelevant when they comment on matters unconnected to Israel and Palestine. In this case, however, their support for Israel is clearly relevant to their advocacy of Bill C-9 and so to omit any mention of it deprives the reader of the context required to fully understand the perspective that informs key points of the joint statement to which you refer.
In light of the foregoing, we would request that you add a clarification to your report, by adding the words “five pro-Israeli Jewish groups,” along with a sentence to the effect of, “Certain of the measures advocated in their statement have been criticized on the grounds that they would unfairly target pro-Palestine advocacy.”
Sincerely,
Adam Allouba
Media Advocate
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
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