CBC’s description mischaracterizes the motion by replacing its explicit reference to solidarity with the Palestinian people and civilian victims in West Asia with the incorrect statement “civilian victims of the Israeli conflict.”
To the CBC News,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) regarding the TV segment aired on Tuesday August 25 at 11:18:06 PM Eastern Daylight Time.
First, I take issue with this false framing: “An amended motion expresses solidarity with the Palestinian people and civilian victims of the Israeli conflict.”
This is not what the motion says. The motion is called <<Motion pour démontrer la solidarité de la Ville de Montréal au peuple palestinien et aux victimes civiles du conflit en Asie de l’Ouest, communément appelée le Moyen Orient. >>
In English, this translates to “Motion to express the City of Montreal’s solidarity with the Palestinian people and with the civilian victims of the conflict in West Asia, commonly known as the Middle East.”
CBC’s description mischaracterizes the motion by replacing its explicit reference to solidarity with the Palestinian people and civilian victims in West Asia with the incorrect statement “civilian victims of the Israeli conflict.”
This requires an on air-correction clarifying that the motion expresses solidarity with the Palestinian people and with the civilian victims of in West Asia (Middle East), as stated in the motion itself.
The segment also specifies that the original motion, introduced by Projet Montréal, called on Montreal to “recognize and denounce what it describes as a genocide in Palestine.”
The major issue with this statement is that CBC News does not clarify the basis for Project Montreal’s characterization of genocide and apartheid. Rather, the wording places the onus on Project Montreal by framing these conclusions as being made by the party itself. The implication is that readers might be misled into thinking that the crimes of genocide and apartheid are merely Project Montreal’s own characterizations.
This is not the case. The screenshot below shows parts of the motion that were amended. The motion specifically cited international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and others, that have characterized Israel’s actions as acts of genocide.
The motion also specifies that numerous human rights organizations have concluded that Israel maintains an apartheid regime against Palestinians.
We therefore ask CBC News to keep this in mind in future coverage of the motion: to specify the basis upon which the terms of genocide and apartheid are used in the motion, as reflected in the language PM itself used. These characterizations are not simply assertions originating from Project Montreal, but are grounded in a mountain of evidence, with every single international body affirming that Israel violates the international prohibition on genocide, racial segregation, and apartheid.
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East