It is therefore entirely legitimate and logical for Palestinians and other Canadians of conscience to commemorate and mourn three years of genocide on October 7.
To the Toronto Star editorial team,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East regarding the opinion piece by Rosie DiManno titled: “Three years on, University of Toronto campus still sits on Oct. 7 fault lines.”
Rosie Dimanno makes the false and unfair claim that many pro-Palestinian organizations are co-opting and hijacking October 7th to commemorate “so-called martyrs.”
First, mentioning that pro-palestinian organizations are mourning “so-called martyrs” is a form of dehumanization that is deeply racist and disrespectful as it unfairly casts doubt on the martyrs killed by the Israeli forces across all sectors of society from Palestinian journalists and health care workers to teachers, men, women, and children.
Second, Dimanno bases her opinion on an unfair and false premise. October 7 not only marks the Hamas attacks on Israel, but it also marks the 3-year mark since the start of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces.
Israel’s bombing campaign on Gaza started on October 7, almost immediately after the Hamas attack, and Israeli officials were already making genocidal remarks on that day. Israeli minister May Golan said on October 7 that “All of Gaza’s infrastructures must be destroyed to its foundation and their electricity cut off immediately. The war is not against Hamas but against the state of Gaza.” Nissim Vaturi, deputy speaker of the Israeli parliament, similarly wrote on that day: “Now we all have one common goal – erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the Earth.”
It is therefore entirely legitimate and logical for Palestinians and other Canadians of conscience to commemorate and mourn three years of genocide on October 7. This right to mourn extends to students at universities, many of whom have family in occupied Gaza, or who simply want to mourn the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians killed by Israel.
It is distressing to see the Toronto Star publish an opinion that is based on a false claim, ultimately defaming and dismissing the reasons why students are mourning three years of genocide against the Palestinian people.
We ask Toronto Star to reconsider the false and unfair claims being made in the opinion piece. CJPME is also willing to submit a letter to the editor.
Thanks for reading.
Media Analyst. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East