Commentary
Anti-Israel demonstrations began sprouting up across North America within days of the terrorist attack upon Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The demonstrations were initially large, and many demonstrators claimed they were seeking to promote peace in the Middle East. They continually told us they wanted to encourage a two-state solution and wanted what was best for people in the region. Anti-Jewish sentiment kept slipping out of the protests but we were assured those were just minority voices who spoke out of frustration with the conflict.
On the anniversary of the Hamas slaughter of innocent people attending a music festival last October, however, the protesters shed all pretence of seeking peace. They chanted “Death to Canada” in Vancouver while burning Canadian flags. They also chanted, “We are Hamas! We are Hezbollah!” Hamas and Hezbollah are both internationally recognized terrorist groups with overt mandates to kill or at least evict every single Jew from Israel. Canada had terrorist supporters marching in its streets.
Canadians were shocked by the imagery of hate and demonstration of support for such reprehensible acts as what happened on Oct. 7. We are one of the most easygoing and peaceful nations on earth, right?
How did we get here?
The evolution of what began as predominantly pro-Palestine demonstrations into the hate protests that are now dominating the gatherings has been happening for a year. When protesters weren’t garnering enough attention with peaceful street demonstrations, they moved into shopping malls to intimidate customers and business owners. When that didn’t get them what they wanted, they began targeting Jewish-owned businesses and neighbourhoods. Their actions and language became increasingly intolerant and aggressive while politicians at all levels of government embraced wilful blindness and hoped the protests would fizzle away with time. Clearly, they won’t.
Canadian politicians for the most part wanted to stay out of it. Both sides in the conflict are intractable, and taking a stance could lead to electoral fallout. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has continuously resisted taking strong positions on the conflict. According to a recent op-ed by Tom Mulcair, when the former NDP leader asked Joly why the Liberals are taking such weak stances she told him: “Thomas, have you seen the demographics of my riding?” There are roughly 7,000 people of Arab descent in Joly’s Montreal riding. It appears she fears losing their votes. Joly is in one of the most senior political positions in the nation and while local politics are important, her actions should reflect the needs of the country rather than her electoral fortunes.
Governments at all levels can no longer kick the can down the road. Some lines must be drawn in the sand and limits placed upon what will be tolerated in the streets of Canada.
But imposing limits on the right to free expression is a dicey business. The ability to protest is essential in a democracy, even if the position is unpopular. We do understand that all rights have limitations, though. If masked Ku Klux Klan members continually marched through neighbourhoods with large black populations while chanting for the death of the nation, how many minutes would it take before police intervened? The targeting of Canadian Jews by masked extremists is no less dangerous, nor should it be tolerated any longer.
Offensive protests must be tolerated and even protected. Burning a flag enrages many people, but it shouldn’t be illegalized. Calling for violence and death to a nation while supporting terrorist organizations goes well beyond reasonable free expression, though.
The federal government can demonstrate strength by banning Samidoun which organized the Vancouver protests. Samidoun cloaks itself as a charity though it has been declared a terrorist entity in other countries or otherwise outlawed. Even the progressive and permissive nation of The Netherlands banned Samidoun.
Banning a single organization won’t stop the fundraising for terrorism nor stop the protests, but it would show that the government is ready to put its foot down. Few Canadians will weep for the loss of an organization that burns their national flag and calls for the death of their country.
If the federal government takes a stance, provincial and municipal governments can feel more confident in applying policing to these demonstrations when needed.
The protests are getting smaller all the time as moderate people no longer feel comfortable within them. Unfortunately, that allows the extremists to dominate the crowds. Threats of violence, acts of intimidation, and property damage will only become worse if demonstrators feel they can get away with it. Something tragic will happen if the fuse isn’t cut on this bomb soon.
The founding principle of Canada is, “Peace, order and good government.”
Can our political leaders unite and agree to pursue the concepts of peace and order? Presumably, we won’t have a good government until that happens.
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