Canada pulls logo from anti-Israel forum
Two Liberal MPs object to tone of cartoon
MONTREAL • The federal government has distanced itself from a major international gathering opening Tuesday in Montreal following complaints that its programming included antiSemitic content.
The World Social Forum, expected to draw more than 10,000 participants, was told last week to remove the Canadian government logo from its list of partners after two Liberal MPs expressed disgust over what they called a “blatantly anti- Semitic cartoon” on the event’s website.
MPs Anthony Housefather, representing t he Montreal riding of Mount Royal, and Michael Levitt, representing the Toronto riding of York Centre, also took exception to the World Social Forum’s heavy emphasis on the anti-Israel BDS movement.
“The Prime Minister, the Government of Canada, and the Canadian Parliament have been very clear that we oppose the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and that anti-Semitism is never acceptable,” the MPs said in a statement.
Forum organizers cancelled a session that had been scheduled to show how Islamist terrorists are “in the service of world Zionism-capitalism.” The page for the event had featured a cartoon of a hook- nosed orthodox Jew with a Star of David on his hat, a drawing that Reuben Poupko, co- chairman of Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs ( CIJA) Quebec, said was “not so different from those that appeared in Nazi papers.”
Housefather said the federal government did not provide a grant to the Forum, but it did subsidize the employment of two students working with the organization. He said there is no reason for the Forum to obsess over Israel when there are many other pressing problems facing the world.
“Why is Israel the only country constantly singled out? Why are they not concerned about human rights in North Korea, or Iran or Syria?” he asked. “Somehow boycotting the most democratic country in the Middle East is what they’re focusing on, and it’s really unfortunate.”
Along with eco- responsibility, accessibility and security, the Forum has identified “non- apartheid” as one of its four key commitments, promising to censor pro- Israel viewpoints. “We have already taken a stand to exclude all people, organizations or activities that promote any kind of oppression, supporting Palestinians and all the people struggling for their emancipation and freedom,” its website says. An accompanying document advises the boycott of academics, artists and products it links to “Israeli apartheid.” The CIJA has identified 28 separate events that it says target Israel. Two of the event’s 21 major sessions deal with “Israeli apartheid.”
The Quebec government provided a $100,000 subsidy to the conference from a Municipal Affairs fund aimed at promoting Montreal. A department spokeswoman said Monday that the grant was awarded before the program was drawn up.
“The detailed programming of activities was not in the request for financial assistance or in the organization’s charter,” Alexandra Paré said. “It should be mentioned that the government was not involved in creating the programming, which includes some 1,000 activities.”
CIJA is calling on the Quebec government, which is listed as a partner of the Forum, to dissociate itself from the event. An annual event, it began in 2001 as a left- wing alternative to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It started in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and has typically been held in developing countries.
“This is the first time it’s being held in North America, in a pluralistic and liberal democracy,” said Eta Yudin, deputy director of public affairs for CIJA Quebec. “It’s an opportunity for them to pick it up a notch and make it a forum for legitimate expression of views on serious global concerns. To see the emphasis placed and the space given to those who seek to delegitimize the state of Israel and promote anti-Semitism is our biggest concern.”
Carminda Mac Lorin, co-coordinator of the Forum, said the organization “provides a stage for civil society” to hold events, but the content is determined by individual groups. “We are still in the process of reviewing programming,” she said. “If there are questionable activities, we will remove them from the programming.”
For an event to be removed it has to violate the Forum’s principles, which prohibit proselytism, violence and political partisanship. Seyyed Ali Mousavi, organizer of the workshop that featured the offensive cartoon, was livid that his event was judged to contravene Forum principles.
“World Social Forum is occupied by Israeli tanks and petrodollars Saudi Arabia,” he wrote on the Forum website.