The Media Accountability Project  

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Dear Montreal Gazette editorial newsroom,

I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) regarding your article titled “Montreal police hate-crimes unit investigating mock hangings at pro-Palestinian rally.”

First, I want to commend your team, and reporter Mr. Wilson in particular, for the generally balanced approach taken in covering a highly sensitive and polarizing issue.

Reporting on Palestine solidarity protests often requires navigating difficult and different political perspectives.

I appreciated your effort to provide readers with background on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, including mention of Canada’s sanctions against him for his role in facilitating the expansion of West Bank settlements and for offering political cover to settlers committing violence against Palestinian civilians.

However, I was surprised that the article excluded any mention of Ben-Gvir’s recent treatment of Canadian activists who took part in the Gaza aid flotilla.

As reported by CBC and other mainstream outlets, Canadian flotilla activists were bound, taunted, and forced to kneel on the ground in footage shared publicly by Ben-Gvir last week. Ben-Gvir also stated that the activists should remain imprisoned for a “long, long time.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney himself condemned the Israeli government’s treatment of the activists as “appalling” and called for an independent investigation into their mistreatment.

This context is directly relevant to understanding why MTL4Palestine protesters were targeting him specifically.

Without it, readers are left with an incomplete understanding of why Ben-Gvir has become a renewed focus of protest and public outrage.

I urge the Gazette to update the article with this context.

I look forward to your response.