Gaza protests violate Canadian laws: Jewish Congress

[DogPoundPup]

Canada's largest Jewish advocacy group will ask police to investigate whether hate laws were broken during recent rallies held in cities across Canada to condemn Israel's attacks on Gaza – an allegation roundly dismissed Tuesday by the group's Arab counterpart.

The Canadian Jewish Congress and the Canadian Arab Federation exchanged their latest barbs as the cauldron of emotion in the Middle East, set to boiling by Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip, continued to spill over international borders.

The congress has video and images from "pro-Hamas" protests in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary that were "uncivil, un-Canadian, that demonize Jews and Israelis," and might have violated Canadian laws, CEO Bernie Farber said in an interview.

"Some of the rhetoric and chants that we have heard are everything from calls to murder, to comparison of Jews and Israelis to Nazis, to calls to genocide," he said.

The Jewish advocacy group, which intends to hold a news conference Wednesday to release the material, said it plans to ask both local police and the RCMP to investigate whether any crimes might have been committed.

Mohamed Boudjenane, executive director of the Canadian Arab Federation, dismissed the tactic as an attempt to divert attention from the horrors of Gaza – horrors perpetrated, he said, by the Israeli military.

"We had 10,000 people (protest)," Boudjenane said.

"How can you control every single person there and not have someone who will scream some weird stuff or someone who could have a flag of Hamas or whatever? But the purpose of the march has nothing to do with that."

Read more: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/570376

[delad]

1. it would be funny if it wasn't so tragic n/t

[azurnoir]

2. So if they can not kill the message

they will kill the messengers or at least silence them, wonder that came from?

[LeftishBrit]

8. Is it silencing the messengers, or complaining at actual hate-speech?

If people at a pro-Israel rally screamed 'death to Palestinians' or 'death to Muslims' would you consider complaints as simply 'killing the messenger'?

If people at an anti-Mugabe rally screamed out racist slogans, would you consider objections as just 'killing the messenger'?

(I expect one could find actual examples of both the above.)

I don't know whether there were genuine grounds for complaint, or whether the complaints are frivolous - this may become clearer with investigaton; but it is my impression that the complaints, justified or not, were not about the fact of the demonstrations, but about hate-speech and incitement at these demonstrations.

[azurnoir]

9. It was pointed out in a large crowd

of people you can not control what everybody is going to say, we are not talking about a skin head convention or a neo Nazi march that would be different and it was posted here last week there has been much "hate speech" on both sides in fact "go back to Palestine so we can shoot you" was quoted; maybe all of the protests should be shut down would that be better?

[LeftishBrit]

10. No I don't think they should be shut down (either side)

However, pointing out that hate-speech exists on both sides and is wrong is a different matter.

[BunkerHill24]

3. Pathetic...n/t

[coruscate]

4. Israelis / Zionists have forgotten their roots

Seriously, they've become that which almost destroyed them, BY CHOICE.

[oberliner]

5. Canadian union leader apologizes for ‘Nazi’ remark

TORONTO (JTA) - An Ontario union leader apologized for comparing the bombings of academic institutions in Gaza to actions perpetrated by the Nazis.

"I made some remarks (about) the actions of the Israeli army and that was a stupid statement for me to make," Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario president Sid Ryan said. "I unequivocally apologize."

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/01/10/1002140/canadian-union-leader-apologizes-for-nazi-remark

[DogPoundPup]

7. ADL Director slams American Christian group: Methodists 'bordering anti-Semitism'

Foxman furiously condemned recommendations made by the New England branch of the Methodist Church for its members to divest "from twenty companies identified as supporting the Israeli occupation in Palestine."


The recommendations were made by a "task force" of clergy and church members set up to implement a "resolution to end the Israeli occupation," a statement by the Church added.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3418316,00.html

[oberliner]

11. What does that have to do with this? nt

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Turnabout is fair play