OPINION: Speaking out in support of Palestine

BY PETER EWART AND DAWN HEMINGWAY

Special to the News

In these challenging times, it is important that we, as Canadians, can speak out about issues of concern, either within Canada or globally.  But that right is becoming increasingly under threat especially as related to the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people.

For example, at the beginning of November, Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, visited Canada as part of a speaking tour of Canadian universities.  In this tour she was scheduled to meet with various federal government officials and committees. However, without explanation, the government cancelled these invitations.  This happened after a big media campaign directed against Ms. Albanese by the pro-Israeli Zionist lobby in North America, claiming that her steadfast support for the Palestinian people and their human rights is “antisemitic.”

In response to this campaign, 30 international Jewish organizations, including Independent Jewish Voices (Canada) and the United Jewish People’s Order, issued a joint letter condemning this campaign, stating that “Ms. Albanese has been under relentless attack from politically motivated organizations like ‘UN Watch’, which have been waging toxic smear campaigns to silence her and to harm her human rights mandate.  Those organizations have one objective: shielding the Israeli government from international criticism and legal accountability” (1).

The joint letter further states that “speaking out in defence of more than two million civilians in Gaza whose lives are existentially threatened, including by deliberate starvation, Ms. Albanese has been denouncing the political collusion and military complicity of Western governments in Israel’s annihilation of Gaza.”

Undeterred by the toxic attacks against her, Ms. Albanese went on to speak at several Canadian universities including in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, where her views were well-received by the attendees.

One political figure who did speak out against the pro-Israeli Zionist attacks on Ms. Albanese was Senator Yuan Pau Woo who, in a speech to the Canadian Senate, suspects that the real reason why our political leaders have refused to meet with her is that they “cannot bear to listen to the fact of war crimes in Gaza that expose their hypocrisy and duplicity, and, dare I say, the complicity of Canadian foreign policy in violations of international humanitarian law” (2).

Senator Woo comments that “forty-four years on, we not only do not have a Palestinian state but we are witnessing before our very eyes the slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza and the forced relocation of civilians from their places of residence, presumably to make way for Israeli settlements.  In effect, a continuation of Nakba [the Catastrophe].”

Senator Woo went on to say that “the so-called ‘working definition’ of antisemitism that has been endorsed by the government means Palestinians, and indeed all Canadians – including Jewish Canadians – who make deep criticisms of Zionism and Israel, can be accused of antisemitism.  For example, calling for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions directed at Israel or at supporters of Israel’s assault on Gaza and the West Bank, could be labelled antisemitic.  This weaponization of language represents an assault on free speech, legitimate political debate, and political activism.”

Closer to home in Prince George, Amy Blanding, Northern Health Director of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA), lost her position after taking a stand (outside of work) in support of the Palestinian people via a social media posting about the murder of thousands of Palestinian civilians by Israeli government forces.  At a press conference outside the BC Supreme Court  in Vancouver on October 9, 2024, where she launched a lawsuit against her dismissal,  Ms. Blanding explained that she was there “to challenge the utter lack of process exhibited by the Northern Health Authority, the threat to my fundamental rights and freedoms, and to raise issue with the wider suppression of the pro-Palestinian support we are seeing across the province and country” (3).

When reflecting on Ms. Albanese’s and Senator Woo’s comments, as well as Amy Blanding’s case, a question arises:  If we are not allowed to criticize or even talk about the anti-democratic actions of a foreign government like Israel, how much further is it to expect that we will not be able to criticize the actions of our own government?

1. 30 Jewish Organizations: We support UN Human Rights Rapporteur Francesca Albanese https://www.ijvcanada.org/jewish-orgs-support-albanaese/
2. C-232: Reflecting on the Celebration of Arab Heritage in the Face of Canada’s Stance on Palestine https://senatoryuenpauwoo.ca/en/parliamentary-activities/speeches/c-232-reflecting-on-the-celebration-of-arab-heritage-in-the-face-of-canada-s-stance-on-palestine
3. CBC News. Northern Health director fired for pro-Palestinian views: lawsuit. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/northern-health-pro-palestinian-views-1.7347741

Peter Ewart is a writer based in Prince George, BC.  He can be reached at: peter.ewart@shaw.ca .  Dawn Hemingway is community activist also based in Prince George, BC. She can be reached at: dehemingway49@gmail.com.