The Media Accountability Project  

It is shocking and, frankly, chilling that this piece was approved for publication. It is urgent in the extreme that it be retracted and that public explanations be given as to how this could have happened, accompanied by a sincere and solemn commitment that it will never be repeated.

"Framing a political leader's public statements as deserving of divine or physical execution constitutes a clear threat and an alarming escalation for the National Post."

Without providing this essential context and failing to report on his response. The Globe and Mail leaves readers with an incomplete and misleading record, after the subject of the piece has provided that exact clarification. This violates basic standards of journalistic balance and fairness.

Thank you for your thought interview questions and your heart felt shock at the current conditions Palestinian peoples in the West Bank face daily at the hands of Israeli settlers and the Israeli army.

"The definition of anti-semitism mentioned in the article is the IHRA definition which is highly problematic and contested, even by Jewish groups. This IHRA definition should be referenced with caution even though the Canadian government has adopted it for now. A more acceptable definition is the Jerusalem Declaration which is worth ingesting for future reference."

"CJPME calls on the Globe and Mail to grant a right-of-reply by publishing a counter-perspective or response letter to restore balance to this debate. Furthermore, CJPME demands that an editorial note be added to the column including Mr. Lewis’s public clarification in which he explicitly rejects collective guilt. The Globe must also remove the section on the Belleville shooting and apologize for Urback’s reckless claims that Lewis’ statement encouraged the attack."

"Yakabuski defames Lewis and his team by portraying them as inherently antisemitic simply for being allies of the Palestinian movement. Mr. Yakabuski also portrays support for Palestinian rights as inherently suspect or extremist, by implying  that the presence of Palestinian symbolism, such as flags or keffiyehs, at the NDP convention is indicative of antisemitism within the party. To be clear, I believe these passages constitute forms of anti-Palestinian racism, as defined by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association. This includes 'defaming Palestinians and their allies with slander such as being inherently antisemitic' in order to silence their narratives and advocacy."