Robert Walker, the author of this op-ed, is a staffperson at a pro-Israel lobby group. Authors of op-eds aren’t held to the same standards as authors of news stories, so we don’t expect the Ottawa Citizen to force Walker to “change” anything in his op-ed. However, we encourage you to send a letter to this hate-filled opinion piece about Gazan refugees in the hopes that we get a few letters published in the Ottawa Citizen
Poor coverage - Media outlet to be critiqued
A CJPME Media Researcher has launched a media alert for the following article. Please submit a quick response to the media, even if it’s just a sentence or two:
Title of Piece: Robert Walker: "Canada has a good reason to be cautious about refugees from Gaza"
Media Outlet: Ottawa Citizen
Click here to access the piece online
Comments of the CJPME Media Researcher:
(Note: Please do not copy and paste the material below as the content to your message to the media - put all comments in your own words):
Robert Walker, the author of this op-ed, is a staffperson at a pro-Israel lobby group. Authors of op-eds aren’t held to the same standards as authors of news stories, so we don’t expect the Ottawa Citizen to force Walker to “change” anything in his op-ed. However, we encourage you to send a letter to this hate-filled opinion piece about Gazan refugees in the hopes that we get a few letters published in the Ottawa Citizen. Consider one or two of the following points as the basis for your letter. (Note that letters to the Ottawa Citizen should be under 200 words.)
- Walker makes false and harmful allegations against the protests for Gaza by describing them as “expressing violent extremist opinions.”
- Walker makes racist accusations against Gazans, making generalizations suggesting they are all terrorists, hateful and violent. This type of generalization is a form of anti-Palestinian racism and is xenophobic.
- While Walker mentions polls about Palestinians’ support for Hamas, he fails to mention the context for this support: the almost 60-year Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, considered “apartheid” by virtually all international human rights groups. Support for Hamas’ acts of resistance is very likely a proxy for opposition to Israel’s decades of violence against Palestinians.
- Walker fails to mention that Hamas is a political party – founded on resistance to Israeli occupation and apartheid – which provides social aid and has deep ties across Palestinian society. Canada must find a way to welcome refugees from a population of people who have known nothing but oppression their entire lives.
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The CJPME Media Centre Team
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