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DEFEND OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH / DEFENDEZ NOTRE LIBÉRTÉ DE L’EXPRESSION 4 comments to DEFEND OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH / DEFENDEZ NOTRE LIBÉRTÉ DE L’EXPRESSIONLeave a Reply |
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Hi,
I am a journalist with a monthly humoristic pubication, Le COUAC, that takes progressive viewpoints on a number of issues, including the Mddle East.
I am on CJPME’s mailing list and would like to attend Thursday evening’s dinner & show in Laval, in order to write a review about the use of humour in achieving understanding & progress on sensitive issues. I can’t afford the entry price, but I would be writing an article in Le COUAC’s december issue.
Please advise.
Martin Dufresne
I did not realize that the comments were posted so rapidly, so here is my criticism of your current petition against the CPCCA:
I must react to your current demagogical campaign against the CPCCA. You are misleading those who consult your site and this is shameful. Let me explain:
Let me start by quoting parts of your petition
Your petition states the following: (quotes in italics)
The CPCCA’s goal is to criminalize criticism of Israel and Zionism, not to hold impartial hearings.
Therefore, we oppose the CPCCA as an ideologically biased organization with an agenda that will harm free speech and human rights activity in Canada.
We oppose the CPCCA’s Orwellian distortion of anti-Semitism. It is a danger to both Canadian liberties and to the genuine and necessary fight against anti-Semitism.
BACKGROUND
The CPCCA and Canada’s Israel representatives are waging a propaganda and legal battle to silence the expanding number of people and organizations who support Palestinian rights or are critical of Israel for its illegal occupation, invasions and siege of Palestine.
The CPCCA is joining the Conservative government, the B’nai Brith, and the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), in an ambitious plan to censor civil dialogue by deliberately confusing criticism of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism. The CJC calls on the CPCCA to help mobilize police, federal and media resources to suppress such criticism. (3)
Members of the CPCCA cite university activism such as Israeli Apartheid Week as evidence of the “new Antisemitism”. They are panicking at the growing non-violent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel, just as Canada previously opposed the anti-Apartheid movement against a racist South-African state. They are alarmed at the growing number of Jews and Jewish organizations challenging Israel’s occupation and impunity.
The CPCCA writes: “Antisemitism is an age-old phenomenon, yet it is always re-invented and manifested in different ways. For example, while accusations of blood libel are still being made against the Jewish people, instead they are being directed against the State of Israel, such that anti-Zionism is being used as a cover for antisemitism.”
Now, let us take a reality check
Your petition does not mention that this initiative in Canda is a follow up to a British initiative attended by Parliamentarians from around the world. So, it is not an isolated Harper initiative being done in cahoots with the Jewish and pro-Israel lobby in Canada, which is what your petition implies. The CPCCA web site actually states the following: (quote in italics)
The CPCCA is unaffiliated with the Government of Canada, or any NGO’s or advocacy groups. It is associated with the Interparliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism, an international steering committee which organized the conference in London in 2009.
My comment: what your petition states is the opposite of what is written above. You have the right to think that the CPCCA is full of shit and a group of liars, but they explicitly write that they are not affiliated with any pressure group.
Another quote (in italics)
Antisemitism is an age-old phenomenon, yet it is always re-invented and manifested in different ways. For example, while accusations of blood libel are still being made against the Jewish people, instead they are being directed against the State of Israel, such that anti-Zionism is being used as a cover for antisemitism.
Your petition does quote part of this section (actually this quote is the only part of your petition that is accurate). What this states is that anti-zionism is being used as a cover for anti-semitism. You are fully entitled to disagree with this statement. However, by no means does this statement call for a suppression of criticism of Israel (see below as well). It refers to the fact that certain critics of Israel tend to challenge Israel’s legitimacy to exist as a state rather than just sticking to legitimate criticism of Israel’s actions. The best example of the double standard is Sri Lanka who brutally suppressed the Tamoul tigers and inflicted war crimes on their civilian populations. There were no massive demonstartions against Sri Lanka, no calls for its disappearance as a country, etc.
A fianl quote of major importance. The CPCCA Web site states in the FAQ section (where you took the preceding quote). This quote is again in italics, the emphasis in bold is mine:
Is the Canadian Parliamentary Committee for Combating Antisemitism really about limiting legitimate criticism of the State of Israel?
· No. The issue of antisemitism is a domestic and international human rights issue that affects people and states around the world. The need to defend fundamental freedoms of consciousness and belief, expression and association, our constitutionally engrained rights, are generally not a matter of political controversy. As stated in the London Declaration “We are alarmed at the resurrection of the old language of prejudice and its modern manifestations – in rhetoric and political action – against Jews, Jewish belief and practice and the State of Israel.”
· However, dissent and opposition to individual actions of the Israeli government are both permitted and encouraged in and outside of Israel, just as political dissent is permitted and encouraged with respect to any democratic nation.
· As stated in the London Declaration, calls for the destruction of the State of Israel are inherently antisemitic .
The preceding quote clearly shows that your claims are totally unfounded. I think your action is misleading and shameful. The confusion you generate by such actions is based on the issue of legitimate criticism of Israel vs. what is stated in the London declaration (see above).
Hello Norman,
Larry Haiven, from the IJV suggested that the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism be renamed the “The House of Un-Israeli Affairs Committee.” This is a play on the old McCarthy forum “The House of Un-American Affairs Committee.” I think he brilliantly sums up what is wrong with the CPCCA.
Before the CPCCA was even announced, we in the IJV were paying attention to the phenomena of the “new Antisemitism” because besides being part of the Israel lobby drumbeat, the London Conference had Conservative minister Jason Kenney and Liberal MP Irwin Cotler playing a leadership role in pushing this “new anti-Semitism” definition & agenda.
Second, your critique that we didn’t deal with the Sri Lankan massacres. Well, the IJV’s mandate as Canadian Jews doesn’t exactly fall into the grave issue of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, but individual members of the IJV have and took active positions on the side of the Sri Lankan victims and have denounced the Indonesian genocidal campaigns.
Your main critique of the IJV petition is based on verbatim acceptance of the CPCCA’s writings, which no one can take at face value. The CPCCA is composed of MPs. And besides having the traditional problem of dishonesty of politicians, the agenda of MPs is to ultimately propose and pass laws. That is why we take their agenda seriously.
You write: “You have the right to think that the CPCCA is full of shit and a group of liars, but they explicitly write that they are not affiliated with any pressure group.”
They are all members of either the ruling government which technically is not a pressure group, or Parliament that does bring “pressure” on those it opposes. And Liberal MP Cotler was the head of the Canadian Jewish Congress until he was deposed by the current clique who are even further to the right.
So we criticize the CPCCA because we are forced to look at the record of the principles involved – and we can again look at the leadership – Cotler and Kenney. Is there anything they have said over the last years that you can cite would be construed as balanced, or even a legitimate critique of Israel or Zionism?
Their numerous public statements have praised or defended Israel and Zionism, verses their public statement about the Palestinians and the Palestinian supporters, which have not been positive and are usually negative. They supported the Gaza invasion & bombardment, the kidnapping and jailing of thousands of Palestinians including their leaders, the Lebanon invasion & bombardment two years ago, the Wall, the siege, the settlements and the occupation, the denial of Canadian Palestinians permission to visit Palestine – so much of it blatantly illegal. Not a peep of criticism about any of that, is there? But The Goldstone Report, Hamas, the BDS campaign, the non-violent Palestinian resistance (which is about 90 –95% of their resistance), the UN declarations and propositions that support the Palestinians or criticize Israel – our demonstrations and activities here, the freedom boats – all met with a blanket silence or condemnation.
Could they have suddenly changed their mind with their “new Antisemitism” that includes the criticism and activities against Israel or for Palestinian rights? Not a chance.
The CPCCA says they accept ‘legitimate’ criticism of Israel. Do they? They don’t cite what criticism is legitimate.
The first major press release from the CPCCA claims widespread Canadian campus antisemitism according to an Israeli ‘expert’. Later when Canadian university representatives testified to the CPCCA that there is no antisemitism problem on campus, the CPCCA pointedly did not publicize that.
The CPCCA will go after student critics of the Israel occupation, specifically the Israeli Apartheid Week activities this March. It is not illegitimate criticism of Israel they oppose, it is the serious criticism that frightens them.
The B’nai Brith is aligned with the Christian right and the Conservative Party who have religious prophesies about End of Days and Armageddon that are horribly anti-Semitic. After all, what could be a better example of anti-Semitism then of praying for the annihilation of Jews who don’t accept Jesus as their savior?
You write: “What this [the CPCCA] states is that anti-zionism is being used as a cover for anti-semitism. You are fully entitled to disagree with this statement. However, by no means does this statement call for a suppression of criticism of Israel (see below as well). It refers to the fact that certain critics of Israel tend to challenge Israel’s legitimacy to exist as a state rather than just sticking to legitimate criticism of Israel’s actions.”
Our point is that we do object to the automatic linkage of criticism of the legitimacy of the Israeli state with anti-Semitism. Look, we are part of an historical tradition of critical Jews who simply have a very critical and varied position on Israel and the precepts of current Zionism. But we are absolutely against anti-Semitism. In fact, I believe that, and have written that the fanatical Zionists are fueling global anti-Semitism. But none of that will be debated or discussed because the CPCCA and the Israel representatives are too afraid to have that public debate.
We would love to engage them in a debate – they refuse.
The IJV and other critics of the CPCCA submitted cogent and important submissions critical of their definitions of anti-Semitism and their agenda. The CPCCA response was to bury them.
Norman, you have every right to defend Israel and your interpretation and support of Zionism. But as a militant from Amnesty International, I expect a sharper analysis from you about what government ministers are up to on this issue when they are organizing on many fronts to further attack and suppress dissent and opposition to their policies of unwavering support for the Israeli government.
Ira Chernus has an excellent article on faux-antisemitism at AntiWar.com:
http://original.antiwar.com/chernus/2010/01/20/israel-finds-a-new-way-to-play-the-victim/