There is a growing Canadian backlash against Israeli Apartheid Week, the on-campus campaign to delegitimize Israel.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney issued a strongly worded statement Friday, asking students to think twice before joining activities tied to the week, taking place across Canada and internationally this month.
The events, which seek to promote Palestinian human rights, are frequently “accompanied by anti-Semitic harassment, intimidation and bullying,” Mr. Kenney said, and are at times planned and promoted with disregard for the safety of Jewish students, professors and others on campus.
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“These activities can cultivate an atmosphere exactly the opposite of one that is open to the free exchange of ideas and the development of the mind with the aid of facts and logic,”
Repeatedly singling out and condemning Israel year after year creates a “hateful environment” that “offends not only our sense of fairness, but also our core Canadian values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”
“Such scapegoating becomes yet another symptom of a worrying new acceptance of the vilification of Israel and of Jews around the world.”
At a Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Community fundraiser Thursday evening, Prime Minister Stephen Harper slammed anti-Semitism on Canadian campuses, saying the organized Israeli Apartheid Weeks had become increasingly sophisticated and “intellectually acceptable.”
“At one time, friends, we could’ve expected threatening behaviour toward Jewish students to be rejected in any form at institutions of higher learning,” he told a crowd gathered at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. “Unfortunately, it is now often the behaviour of the anti-Israeli mob that is allowed to prevail.”
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, who also spoke at the event, said it’s time activists stop comparing Israel to South Africa, where apartheid was in place for approximately 45 years and finally abolished in 1993. He, too, released an official statement Monday condemning the week as a “dangerous cocktail of ignorance and intolerance” that threatens “the mutual respect” of Canadian society.
The Ignatieff statement led to controversy at Queen’s University in Kingston after a student-elected education advocate published a politically charged response and signed it with his official title. Queen’s Principal Daniel Woolf distanced the university from Nick Day’s letter, which was posted on left-wing news site rabble.ca on Wednesday. At a meeting Thursday night, the student government voted to hold a referendum Mar. 22 and 23 in which students will decide whether they want him removed from the position.
Mr. Day told the Queen’s Journal he regretted signing the letter as Queen’s rector, but doesn’t regret writing it.
“I made a public statement based on principles and ideas that I think are extremely important, speaking as myself and not claiming to speak for every student,” he told the student paper. “It’s the principal’s right to clarify that the university doesn’t share my opinion.”
There seems to be a total lack of education in relation to Israel? There appears to be a foreign, Islamic hatred for the whole world that is effecting all of us. All women around the world should be loved, admired and protected.
Kenney (the Conservative party’s federal minister of immigration) recently released an updated edition of a citizenship guide for new immigrants. In it are the words, “Canada’s openness and generosity do not extend to barbaric cultural practices that tolerate spousal abuse, “honour killings”, female genital mutilation, forced marriage or other gender-based violence.”
Justin Trudeau (son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, and the Liberal party’s immigration critic took exception to the word, “barbaric”, suggesting that “absolutely unacceptable” should be used instead, though he said that in private, “barbaric” was a fitting word for one to use against those who abuse women.
The NDP (led by Layton) party’s Olivia Chow commented on this discussion between Kenney and Trudeau, tweeting “Peversely named “honour killings” are barbaric, whether they take place here or anywhere else in the world.” This all from this week’s Maclean’s magazine – a popular Canadian magazine.
To my knowledge, none of Kenney’s or Harper’s blastings of Apartheid week made CBC news (Canada’s national broadcasting station). No surprise there.
Thank you Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Leader of the Opposition for making a show for Canadians against the anti-Semites. Because of your mutual stance indeed we will be blessed. Question? where is Jack Layton of the NDP?
Looks as if while academic qualifications are required in order to learn at universities, ignorance and bigotry, with just a little cowardice thrown in, seem to be the qualifications required to teach or become an administrator at these same universities.
What Jewish students need most of all are baseball bats…
How about distancing the university from Nick Day?
Rosanne, they’re too busy searching for their spines…
Where are the administrative and educational heads of universities on this issue?They need to take a stand and disallow hatred of any group!
The events seek to promote Jew-hatred.
I am proud that Jason Kenney and the Canadian government condemn Israeli Apartheid wing, a hateful event established at the u of T, and used as propoganda and do n ot delve into the facts.
This is a totally one sided evil event, and these students who are supposed to be educated do not know the facts. this is a disgrace.
Sima Aronowicz,