Stop the smear campaigns against Palestinian Advocacy!

New Article in Mondoweiss: Fearmongering and intimidation by Canada’s pro-Israel lobby – Mondoweiss

(Over 85 Canadian and international organizations have endorsed this statement, as well as numerous individuals including Roger Waters. Join with them and send your own letter to Canadian officials here.)

Today, we are witnessing an intensified campaign by the pro-Israel lobby in Canada to smear Palestinian activists and their supporters. Last week, the National Post (NP) ran an online article about Palestinian-Canadian writer Khaled Barakat and the advocacy organization Samidoun. On April 30, the same article was splashed across their front page of their paper and has since been referenced in the Canadian Senate and the Jerusalem Post.

A year ago, Canada Palestine Association and 35 other concerned organizations issued a statement detailing their rejection of attempts to criminalize Samidoun, a Palestinian advocacy group for prisoners, by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA). At that time, we said:  Should Canada’s policies on these important issues be decided by what the Israeli government dictates?

We repeat the question now. All of this recent hysteria can be traced back to the one article written by Terry Glavin. However, Mr. Glavin admitted in his own blog on April 29 that B’nai Brith first approached him with their “files” on the subject. He also thanked CIJA in the same blog entry for their assistance.

There seems to be nothing new in the recent defamation campaign, which relies heavily on already known social media posts and Israeli official and intelligence sources (which are mentioned at least 13 times in the NP article). So what pushed the Zionist lobby groups to resurrect this campaign at this specific time? Is it an attempt to deflect attention from the student union resolutions in support of Palestine at major Canadian universities? Or an effort to distract from the growing number of organizations that have expressly condemned Israeli practices as apartheid?

The French government recently tried to ban a Palestinian support group, “Collectif Palestine Vaincra”, but have already been forced by their own courts to suspend that decision.

We tell the Canadian government that the old smear tactics of “trial by fire” are not acceptable. As our statement last year concluded: “This criminalization of Palestinian advocacy is unacceptable and unfounded; Palestinian-Canadians and their supporters have no intention of allowing biased officials to suppress their democratic rights and their voices.”

Signed:
Canada Palestine Association-Vancouver
BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish

Endorsed by:
Academics for Palestine – Concordia
Actions4Palestine A4P, Toronto
Anti Imperialist Alliance, Ottawa
Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians (APAC), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Bayan Canada
BDS Caucus UTGSU
Barnard-Boecker Centre Foundation, Victoria BC
Canada Palestine Support Network (CanPalNet)
Canada-Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights
Canadian BDS Coalition
Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid-Victoria
Communist Party Canada
East Indian Defense Committee (EIDC)
Edmonton Small Press Association
Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle – Coast Salish Territories
Free Palestine Halifax
Free Palestine YEG, Edmonton
Global Peace Alliance BC
GTA Palestine Movement
GT4BDS (Greater Toronto 4 BDS)
Hamilton Coalition to Stop The War
HR4A Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK
Independent Jewish Voices Canada
Independent Jewish Voices Vancouver
In Our Right Minds, Toronto
International League of Peoples’ Struggle Canada
Just Peace Advocates
Just Peace Committee-BC
Justice For All Canada, Toronto
Justice for Palestinians, Calgary
Labour for Palestine – Canada
Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine-Israel (NMJPI)
Oakville Palestinian Rights Association (OPRA), Oakville, Ontario
OPIRG Carleton
Palestinian and Jewish Unity PAJU
Palestinian Student Society Association (PSSA), Guelph
Palestinian Youth Movement PYM
Palestine Solidarity Network – Edmonton
Peace Alliance Winnipeg
Secours Rouge Montréal, Montréal, QC
Simon Fraser University Students for Justice in Palestine, BC
Socialist Action
Socialist Project, Toronto
Students Against Israeli Apartheid U of T
Sulong UBC
Toronto Raging Grannies
Vancouver Peace Council
Venezuela Peace and Solidarity Committee, BC

Al Naqab Center for Youth (مركز النقب للأنشطة الشبابية), Burj el Barjneh camp, Lebanon
Alkarama (Palestinian Womens Movement), Spain
Arab Palestinian Cultural Club (APCC) Tripoli-Lebanon
Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees, California
Communist Youth of Sweden, SKU, Sweden
Free Palestine Movement, USA
Free Speech on Israel, UK
Friends of Sabeel North America
Indonesian Palestine Alliance IDPAL, Indonesia
International Solidarity Movement, Northern California
Jericho Boston , Boston
Jewish Network for Palestine (UK)
Jews for Palestinian Right of Return, USA
Labor for Palestine, US
Nakba Tour, California and Lebanon
Nevadans for Palestinian Human rights, Las Vegas
NYU Law Students for Justice in Palestine, NYC
One State Assembly, Palestine
PAAF PEOPLE AGAINST APARTHEID AND FASCISM, Cape Town
Palbox, Oregon
Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund, California
Palestine Solidarity Alliance, South Africa
Palestine Solidarity Campaign – Cape Town|
Palestinian Cultural Club – Beirut (PCC), Lebanon-Beirut
Palestinian Union in Latin America|
Party for Socialism and Liberation, United States
Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW, Florida
Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, Lebanon
(لبنان – المؤتمر الشعبي لفلسطينني الخارج)
Resumen Latinoamericano, California
Revolutionaire Eenheid, The Netherlands
Serena Shim Award, California
Shurok, Spain
Students for justice in Palestine – Rutgers, New Brunswick, NJ
Students for Justice in Palestine at Butler University
Students for Justice in Palestine at UC Davis, California
Students for Justice in Palestine, Chicago
Students for Justice in Palestine, Wayne NJ
Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights – University of Washington
Syria Support Movement, International
Veterans for Peace, CA, USA

Individual Endorsers:

  1. Ali Mallah, Justice Activist, Toronto
  2. Allan Hansen, Industrial Pipefitter, Edmonton, Alberta
  3. Andrew Brook, Retired academic, Ottawa
  4. Angie Mindel, Retired, Nottingham U.K.
  5. Anna Willats, College Faculty and Coordinator, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  6. Barry Heselwood, Academic, Keighley, UK
  7. Beyaz Almas, Worker, BC
  8. Bill Skidmore, Retired professor, Ottawa, ON
  9. Cathy Cronin, Regular Canadian, Napanee  Ontario
  10. Cathy Gulkin, Documentary filmmaker, Toronto, Canada
  11. Christine McMillan, Retired teacher and tax officer, England UK
  12. Ciara Taylor, NYU law student, New York
  13. Claude Brasseur, Activist, St-Albert, ON
  14. Daphne Stapleton, Peace Activist, Toronto, Canada
  15. Dave Diewert, Retired teacher, Surrey, BC
  16. David Fairn, Journalist, N.S.
  17. David Low, Clergy, St. Catharines, Ontario
  18. Davidi Hadley Finke, Quaker leader, Peace Advocate, Oberlin, Ohio — Land of the Erie
  19. Dorothy Field, artist/writer, Victoria BC
  20. Dr. David Maxwell, Physician, Nova Scotia
  21. Dr. Dwyer Sullivan, Retired high school teacher of Social Justice and World Religions. Kitchener, Ontario
  22. Dr. Jodi Braine, Concerned global citizen, Fredericton, NB
  23. Egbert Harmsen, Activist for human rights, Leiden, The Netherlands
  24. Elie Halabi, Administrator, Repentigny
  25. Ellen Franzen, retired, Berkeley, CA
  26. Emad Hammoud, Self-Employed , London
  27. Enver Domingo, Retired, Oakville Canada
  28. Fahad Chowdhury, Professional Engineer, Elkford
  29. Faris Ziyad, Academic, Chicago
  30. Frances Combs, clergy, Toronto
  31. Frank Holden, Actor/folksinger/writer/human rights activist, St. John’s
  32. Genie Silver, Academic, Pennsylvania, US
  33. Giorgio Ramadhan, Lawyer, Indonesia
  34. Gord Doctorow, Ed.D, Retired educator. Toronto, Canada
  35. Greg Albo, academic and author, Toronto
  36. Haim Bresheeth-Zabner, Academic, author and filmmaker London, UK
  37. Henry Zaccak, CEO, Toronto
  38. Himani Bannerji, Professor, Toronto
  39. Issam Alyamani, Writer, Mississauga, Canada
  40. Jake Javanshir, Activist, Toronto
  41. Jalal Kawash, Academic, Calgary
  42. James Dickins, Academic, Leeds, United Kingdom
  43. Jan Corderman, Peace Activist, Pleasant Hill, Iowa
  44. Jan Steven, mother, grandmother, wife St. Catharines
  45. Jane Collier, Academic, United Kingdom
  46. Jane Story, former journalist, Toronto
  47. Jeff Winkelaar, Retired, Edmonton
  48. Jennifer Whitfield, Activist, Newfoundland, Canada
  49. Jim Mitchell, m.d., Toronto
  50. John Darling, Retired NDP activist, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  51. John Grant, Retired, UK
  52. John Liss, lawyer, Toronto
  53. John Mark Robertson, Social Service Worker, Belleville, Ontario
  54. Jonathan Kuttab, Executive Director, Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
  55. Judith Goldschmidt, Jewish Human Rights Activist, Courtenay, BC
  56. Karen Platt, Jew with a conscience, Albany CA
  57. Karen Rodman, Ordained clergy, human rights advocate, Kawartha Lakes
  58. Kate Chung, Grandmother, Toronto
  59. Katerina Nikas, Writer, Halifax, Nova Scotia
  60. Kathleen Von Riesen, Reg, Nurse, Newfoundland & Labrador
  61. Kevin Gould, Associate Professor, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
  62. Khaled Husseini, Business Owner, Ottawa
  63. Khaled Mouammar, Former Member, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Richmond HIll, Ontario
  64. Khan Jooneed, Journalist, Writer, Human Rights Activist, Montreal, CANADA
  65. Laila Atallah, Lawyer,United States
  66. Laura June Rose, Food industry worker, Vancouver
  67. Lawrence Sutherland, Activist, Winnipeg, Manitoba
  68. Lesley McGorrigan, University worker, UK
  69. Lorraine Michael, Retired Politician, Newfoundland and Labrador
  70. Louise Seidel, Artistic Producer of Theatre, Saskatchewan,
  71. Lynette Bondarchuk, Artist; NPO Administrator; Tenants Advocate, Edmonton
  72. Manhal Alfalasteny, Artist, singer, Tunisia
  73. María Alejandra Torres, Law student, NYC
  74. Mariam Furre, Geographer, Ottawa
  75. Mark Hagar, Retiree, Hamilton
  76. Mark James, Academic, Ontario
  77. Marlena Santoyo, Jewish activist, Philadelphia, USA
  78. Martin Fontaine, agent de pastorale, Montréal
  79. Michael Hajjar, Student, Chicago
  80. Michael Kuttner, Teacher (retired), Toronto
  81. Michal Sapir, Writer and musician, Tel Aviv
  82. Mike Cushman from Free Speech on Israel (UK)
  83. Monica Harhay, Concerned citizen, Toronto, Ontario
  84. Nancy Withington, academic; wife of Palestinian refugee, Santa Barbara, Ca.
  85. Nora Lester Murad, writer, educator, social justice activist, Massachusetts, USA
  86. Norma Rantisi, Academic, Montreal
  87. Pete Firmin, Activist, London
  88. Peter Eglin, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Kitchener
  89. Peter Purich, Technical Writer (retired), Ottawa
  90. Phyllis Creighton, author; retired editor, scholarly publication, Toronto
  91. Rachel Marandett, NYU Law Student, NYC
  92. Rashmi Luther, Academic (Retired), School of Social Work, Carleton University
  93. Rebecca Hagey, Retired professor, Lion’s Head Ontario
  94. Rehab Nazzal, Visual artist, Toronto
  95. Rev. F. Mark Mealing, Ph.D., Anglican Priest & retired Academic, Meadow Creek, B.C.
  96. Rev. Lilian Patey, Clergy, Windsor, Ontario
  97. Richard Kuper, Researcher and campaigner, London, GB
  98. Richard Thoreau, Retired, Victoria
  99. Robert Assaly, Priest, Montreal
  100. Robert Fantina, Author and activist, Kitchener, Ontario
  101. Robert Kent, Emeritus Professor, Computer Science, Elkford, B.C.
  102. Roger Waters, Musician /Activist, NY
  103. Roland Verrier, Retired, Coquitlam, BC
  104. Roswitha Shaw, retired, Ottawa
  105. Salim Assi, Artist, Art of resistance, Copenhagen Denmark
  106. Samuel Miriello, Human Resources Professional, Montreal
  107. Sara Traub, educator, Thornbury
  108. Sean Phipps, Teacher, Vancouver
  109. Sheila Dunnachie, Retired union activist, Mayne Island
  110. Sherry Ann Chapman, Engaged citizen, Edmonton
  111. Sid Shniad, Founding member, Independent Jewish Voices Canada, Surrey, B.C.
  112. Simaan Khoury, President, Palestinian Union of Latin America, El Salvador
  113. Sue Lyon, Advocate, Kingston
  114. Susan Stout, union activist, North Vancouver
  115. Teresa Diewert, Teacher, Surrey, British Columbia
  116. Terri Ginsberg, film scholar, Montreal, Quebec
  117. Terry Gallogly, Retired, York
  118. Thomas Brown, Academic (mathematician), Vancouver BC
  119. Tony Greenstein, Writer and blogger, Brighton UK
  120. Vera Szoke, Retired Highschool Teacher, Toronto, Canada
  121. W. T. Beckett, Human Rights Activist, St. John’s, NL
  122. Walid Alawar, Businessman and social activist, Ontario
  123. Walid Eletry, supporter, Ajax,Ontario
  124. William Ruhm, Social worker, Boston, MA
  125. Wolfe Erlichman, Member, Independent Jewish Voices, Godfrey, ON