Lederman: What happened in Amsterdam is antisemitism, Regg Cohn: There are no excuses for what happened to Jews in Amsterdam. Period

2024/11/14 Leave a comment

Indeed:

…Of course, the supposed justification for Kristallnacht was a pretext for a highly organized attack. Of course, what happened in Amsterdam was a dark night of extreme antisemitism, fuelled by anger over the war in Gaza. It has continued. On Monday night, rioters set a tram on fire, and yelled about cancerous Jews.

Here’s a hopeful thought: the people who did this are thugs, just as the Nazis were thugs. But on Kristallnacht, they were government-sponsored thugs, organized and supported by the men in charge.

The antisemites running rampant through Amsterdam have been condemned by the city’s mayor, the country’s prime minister and the king of the Netherlands. I’m taking some heart in that. But the gaslighting and victim-blaming – arguing that this was not antisemitism, that the Jews started it and deserved it – that is just heartbreaking.

Source: What happened in Amsterdam is antisemitism

…And so when protesters showed up earlier this year at the opening of the new Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam — home of Anne Frank — they claimed their demonstration was entirely anti-Israeli and utterly anti-Zionist, but couldn’t possibly be antisemitic. Which means the Holocaust is now fair game not merely for deniers but provocateurs.

During the Nazi occupation of Holland, three-quarters of the country’s Jews — 102,000 human beings — were deported to concentration camps. That’s history.

With an eye on that shared history, Dutch King Willem-Alexander publicly apologized for the latest antisemitic outburst: “Our history has taught us how intimidation goes from bad to worse.”

Prime Minister Dick Schoof described the violence as “unadulterated antisemitism,” but went one step further for the benefit of those trying to explain and excuse:

“Nothing is an excuse for hunting Jews.”

Nothing.

Source: Regg Cohn | There are no excuses for what happened to Jews in Amsterdam. Period

Filed under Antisemitism, Multiculturalism Tagged with , ,

Outrage over Sir Robert Borden High School playing of peace for Gaza song at Remembrance Day ceremony

2024/11/14 Leave a comment

Legitimate concern:

…Kaplan-Mirth said the musical decision also ran counter to the OCDSB policy to steer clear of taking political stances on any and all issues.

“There is no excuse for this, playing one song at a Remembrance Day ceremony and it’s a song about Gaza? How many times and how many ways can you hurt the Jewish community? Somebody made a choice and there’s no place where this is an appropriate choice for Remembrance Day,” she said. “What if there was a Russian peace song or a Chinese peace song or an Israel peace song? None of that would be OK.”The Jewish Federation of Ottawa said it was also “deeply concerned” about the ceremony.

Source: Outrage over Sir Robert Borden High School playing of peace for Gaza song at Remembrance Day ceremony

Filed under Antisemitism, Multiculturalism Tagged with , , ,

Lyons, Cotler and Lew: To counter antisemitism, Canadians must first be able to recognize it

2024/11/13 Leave a comment

Op-ed promoting the antisemitism guidebook:

…Canadians should unite to combat antisemitism not only because it is an abhorrent, dangerous, and deadly prejudice, but because it is toxic to the very fabric of our democracy and society. Antisemitism is known as the “canary in the coal-mine” for all forms of hatred and intolerance – a weathervane for growing societal intolerance and prejudice – because what starts with the Jews does not end with the Jews.

Simply put, antisemitism is a threat not only to Jewish individuals and the Jewish community, but to Canadian society and democracy as a whole. Our hope is that the Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Definition will be a valuable tool for Canadians seeking to combat this threat and address the rising tide of antisemitism.

Source: To counter antisemitism, Canadians must first be able to recognize it

Filed under Antisemitism, Multiculturalism Tagged with , ,

Keller: Donald Trump’s victory is about class, not race. And that’s a good thing

2024/11/13 Leave a comment

I would argue both but more discussion about class and less about identity is positive:

…A multiracial society is a lot more difficult to sustain if politics is fought over immutable characteristics, with skin colour or ethnicity dictating how I vote, and which party courts or targets me. Democrats have long accused the MAGA movement of being white supremacy on steroids, but more and more blue-collar voters of all races, particularly Hispanics, don’t see it that way. They see MAGA as a working-class movement.

It’s not a great thing for a society to have deep class divisions – but it’s a heck of a lot better than a deep racial divide. Class, in the U.S. and Canada, is not a fixed thing. It’s mutable, evolving and debatable. It’s about everything from lifestyle to mindset to culture, all which can and do change – unlike skin colour.

It’s notable that, while Ms. Harris and Democrats ran against the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that ruled against a constitutional right to abortion, they never mentioned the monumental 2023 Supreme Court decision that declared affirmative action in college admission unconstitutional. Race-blind admission is a popular policy, even in Democratic-controlled California, where whites are a minority.

In the years to come, Democrats and Republicans alike will continue to appeal to voters on the basis of tribal identities – small town versus city, college versus blue collar, conservative versus progressive. But electoral appeals based on race have become a lot less salient in American politics. That’s progress.

Source: Donald Trump’s victory is about class, not race. And that’s a good thing

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Black and Arab people overrepresented in Quebec City police stops, data show 

2024/11/12 Leave a comment

Of note:

New data from Quebec City police show that Black, Arab and, to a lesser extent, Latino people are overrepresented in police stops, a recurring pattern across North America. Researchers and advocates say this is evidence of racial profiling, which the force denies.

The data, obtained by The Globe and Mail through an access to information request, break down by race the 4,567 stops done by Quebec City police between Jan. 1, 2023, and July 13, 2024.

They include street checks and arbitrary traffic stops conducted under a Highway Safety Code provision invalidated by the Quebec Superior Court in a landmark 2022 racial profiling case. Police continued to use the provision pending appeal by the Quebec government, but the Court of Appeal confirmed the lower court ruling in October. Street checks occur when police ask individuals to provide ID or other information without detaining or arresting them.

White people were under-represented in police stops, making up 83.1 per cent of stops, compared with 90.6 per cent of the Quebec City population, according to the 2021 census.

Source: Black and Arab people overrepresented in Quebec City police stops, data show

Filed under Multiculturalism, Racism Tagged with , ,

Chris Selley: Imagine the chaos if Israeli soccer comes to Canada

2024/11/12 Leave a comment

Not an appealing thought experiment:

…It was a terribly grim landmark day for European Jews, and indeed for Europe in general. The World Jewish Congress estimates there are only about 30,000 Jews in the Netherlands: roughly one-eighth as many as in 1939, on the eve of the Holocaust. There might be even fewer than that in very short order, if Thursday’s madness becomes routine. Canadians, Jews especially, are right to wonder whether it could happen here.

The answer is, basically, sure it could. But it could also be prevented. And this should have been. It looks like a colossal failure of policing. It’s easy to say from a desk on the other side of the Atlantic, but this was entirely predictable.

Reports out of Amsterdam Wednesday night were alarmingly and obviously portentous of what occurred the next day. Some purported Maccabi-supporting hooligans had assaulted a taxi driver and ripped down Palestinian flags, while chanting anti-Palestinian slogans.

Even if it weren’t true, the fact those stories were out there in the wild should have been reason enough to expect retaliation — and then some.

Clearly what happened Thursday night isn’t primarily about soccer. It’s about primordial hatred. But alas, soccer incubates primordial hatred. That’s true within the Netherlands: Ajax supporters, few of whom are Jewish, have traditionally embraced the team’s Jewish roots (they often refer to themselves as “the Jews”) and their rivals — especially supporters of Rotterdam club Feyenoord — have often taunted Ajax with antisemitic chants like “Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas, followed by a hissing noise. From a North American perspective, it’s almost beyond belief.

…It’s not inconceivable that Israel might qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and that it might play one or more games in Toronto or Vancouver. I shudder to imagine what that would look like. Police don’t just need to be prepared for serious Amsterdam-style violence; they, and their political overseers, need somehow to convince Canadian Jews and their friends that they’re actually safe. It’s a tough job, nowadays.

Source: Chris Selley: Imagine the chaos if Israeli soccer comes to Canada

Filed under Antisemitism, Multiculturalism Tagged with ,

Internal report describes a ‘cesspool of racism’ in the federal public service

2024/11/11 Leave a comment

Similar to an earlier report by Zellars on all PCO employees (Privy Council Office workers face culture of ‘racial stereotyping’: internal report). Given the same methodology and consultant, my earlier comments still broadly apply..

Took a look at the Public Service Employee Survey results for PCO. In most cases, broadly comparable to the public service as a whole, with some exceptions. But interestingly, some slippage between the 2020 and 2022 surveys results in harassment and discrimination, perhaps reflecting a mix of greater awareness following the Clerk’s Call to Action and the broader social context.

19.2 percent of PCO are visible minorities, 3.0 percent Indigenous peoples, broadly comparable to other departments [for executives, the numbers are 15.2 percent, 5.2 percent respectively]. Unfortunately, don’t have desegregated data by visible minority and indigenous group.

As to the Zellars report, based on interviews, we see a similar pattern in that the surveys indicate that there are issues, a consultant with experience in diversity issues is engaged, has discussions with a number of employees, many who feel aggrieved by remarks and/or treatment. But the nature of such consultants, given their career, is to have an implicit bias of highlighting discrimination and prejudice rather than a more neutral approach. Doesn’t mean of course findings are not valid but need to be assessed accordingly.

And of course the usual groups of organizations and activists use the survey to further their political aims:

An internal report on workplace racism and harassment at the highest levels of the federal public service shows that not even the federal government’s top executives are immune to the problem.

The government-funded report on the experiences of Black public servants in the senior ranks of government — obtained by CBC News — includes first-hand accounts of racist remarks, harassment, intimidation and threats that have harmed the mental health of public servants, especially Black women.

“Crucially, Black women detailed workplace conflicts so severe that they led to chronic depression, the use of antidepressant medications, and suicide attempts,” the report says.

The report also documents instances of Black public servants being called the N-word at work, sexual harassment and even threats of physical violence. It also raises concerns about internal complaint processes being weaponized against Black executives.

The report was initiated by the Black Executives Network, a support group for Black executives in the federal public service. The network is funded by multiple government departments.

CBC obtained a copy of the report and an email from the country’s top public servant — Clerk of the Privy Council John Hannaford — addressing the report’s findings and providing a preliminary response plan.

“What is relayed in the report is deeply concerning and we are distressed to think that some members of the Black executive community have reported that they have lived or are living through these kinds of experiences,” Hannaford said in the email.

Hannaford and several other senior public servants sent the email to all deputy ministers and the Black Executives Network….

Source: Internal report describes a ‘cesspool of racism’ in the federal public service

Filed under Government, Racism Tagged with ,

Canada’s big banks are providing little information about Black entrepreneurship loan programs

2024/11/08 Leave a comment

Of note:

Most of Canada’s major banks continue to lack transparency regarding their loan programs aimed at supporting and removing barriers for Black entrepreneurs, The Globe and Mail has found.

The killing of George Floyd in 2020 sparked conversations between the banks, the federal government and Black business organizations about increasing funding for Black entrepreneurs who disproportionately face systemic barriers to accessing capital. Banks ended up leaving the government initiative in 2021 with promises to create their own tailored programs.

In the three years since, five of the six biggest banks have created programs that they say would help increase the amount of credit that Black entrepreneurs have been able to access. However, while The Globe has repeatedly checked in with the banks to track the progress and impact of these programs, the institutions have generally declined to provide data on how many loans have been extended or how many Black entrepreneurs they have helped.

In October, The Globe reached out again. Only Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Royal Bank of Canada shared data about the amount of loan money they have distributed and the number of approved applicants. Other institutions, including Bank of Nova Scotia, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Montreal and National Bank provided limited or no information….

Source: Canada’s big banks are providing little information about Black entrepreneurship loan programs

Filed under Multiculturalism Tagged with ,

Khan: Montreal’s hijab decision shows how institutions fail to protect Muslim women 

2024/11/08 Leave a comment

Largely gets it right but laïcité affects other religions and religious “headgear” as well (e.g., Sikhs, Jews). Most advertising these days features ethnic diversity but less so with respect to religious diversity:

Oct. 27 marked the beginning of a hebdomadis horribilis for Muslim women in Canada, as they learned they could not depend on civil institutions to include and protect them.

Let’s begin in Montreal. Appearing on the current affairs show Tout le Monde en Parle, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante was asked about a pencil-sketch poster featuring a hijab-clad woman standing between two men. The sign says “Welcome to city hall.” Some had expressed discomfort with the sign for showing religious garb in a municipal building. Ms. Plante acknowledged the discomfort, reiterated the laïque (lay) nature of city hall, and stated that the sign would be removed.

The Mayor’s message was clear: all people are welcome at City Hall, except if you wear a hijab. This hits deep. I arrived in Montreal at the age of three from India. I experienced first-hand the openness, inclusivity and vibrancy of a special city, which allowed me to thrive in the dynamism of a francophone culture. The decision to remove a welcome sign because it features a woman in hijab goes against everything I know and love about Montreal.

This issue is part of a larger debate in Quebec about laïcité, which is distinct from secularism. The latter has its roots in Anglo-Saxon philosophy, where the individual has inalienable rights free from state intrusion. The former has roots in the views of philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, where the individual obtains freedom through the state. In secularism, the state cannot favour any one religion; in laïcité, it cannot be seen as promoting any religion. During the Quiet Revolution, Quebec society methodically removed the hegemonic influence of the Catholic Church, which was seen as particularly detrimental to women. As Quebec lurches toward institutional laïcité today, it seems unbothered that just as the Catholic Church refused to uphold, let alone acknowledge, the personal agency of women, so too does laïcité. For the target of this debate in Quebec over the past two decades has been women in hijab….

Source: Montreal’s hijab decision shows how institutions fail to protect Muslim women

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Kermalli | Students went on a field trip to learn about Islamic contributions to sciences and arts. It never should have taken an ugly turn

2024/11/07 Leave a comment

Worth reflecting upon:

…When are we ever going to be open and embrace, rather than push away or feel threatened by cultures different from our own?

Last week, I chose to observe a Simchat Torah service at a synagogue with a longtime Jewish friend. Simchat Torah is a joyous holiday that celebrates the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and as a Muslim, one I could resonate with, given Islam’s own reverence toward the Quran and acceptance of both the Jewish Torah and the Christian Gospels. It proved to be a wonderful experience and many congregants thanked me for “honouring the ceremony” with my presence. This took me by surprise, because it was in fact I who felt grateful for being permitted to attend the ceremony.

The experience also reminded me of the Quranic verse (49:13): “Oh mankind! We made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other).”

But the children and staff who attended the exhibition last week would not have taken in that core teaching. Because the racially infused pressure on the school board worked: The Quranic recitation was dropped from the program.

And Jewish families can take additional comfort in the announcement Monday that the Ford government will pour $551,000 this coming Holocaust Education Week to double down on combating antisemitism.

Source: Opinion | Students went on a field trip to learn about Islamic contributions to sciences and arts. It never should have taken an ugly turn


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