Update: As can be expected Muzzlewatch has been all over this story. Check out their great in-depth report here.
The Toronto Star reports that the city of Toronto is considering withdrawing funding from the Toronto Pride march next year if the organization Queers Against Israeli Apartheid is allowed to march this year. The city evidently received complaints after last year's parade and is looking into whether the term "Israeli apartheid" violates the city's anti-discrimination policy. From the article:
"We have no legal grounds to ban the word apartheid," [Pride executive director Tracey] Sandilands said. "While I understand there are a lot of people who don't like the wording, there's got to be more than just the name of the organization (to justify taking action)."
But, she said, the city has told them that Toronto Pride had contravened its anti-discrimination policy on the grounds that "those words make certain participants feel uncomfortable."
All funding issues aside, Pride has no wish to violate the city's anti-discrimination policy, she said. "That would be crazy."
Asked how Pride could both avoid banning QuAIA and satisfy the policy, given that even its name makes some uncomfortable, she said: "It's a good question, and it's not one I'm sure we have an answer for as yet."
The campaigh against QuAIA seems to be led by lawyer Martin Gladstone, who previously advocated for an "ethics committee" to review parade signs in an attempt to disqualify the group. From the article:
Gladstone produced and circulated a film, called Reclaiming Our Pride, which shows one marcher wearing a shirt with a crossed-out swastika and features fuzzy audio of others chanting words Gladstone interprets as "fist by fist, blow by blow, apartheid state has got to go."
QuAIA says the chant was actually "brick by brick, wall by wall, Israeli apartheid is going to fall."
The group also says the marcher sporting the crossed-out swastika was not a QuAIA member.
QuAIA member Elle Flanders is quotes as saying the city's stance is "shameful." She continues:
"They're trying to compare it to hate speech, and I find it deeply offensive, as somebody who's been fighting human rights battles for a really long time, to hear that criticism of the state of Israel is somehow hate speech. No way," said Flanders, one of several Jewish QuAIA members.
"I'm a big Jew-lover. And my Judaism taught me to stand up for what is right. This has nothing to do with anything other than criticism of Israel ... Political difference need not be censored."
If Gladstone had any concern with discrimination he would be marching alongside the most discriminated group in ANY society, voicing support for an end to the most discriminatory system of policies in the world, apartheid.
Yet he launches a campaign against both of them.
First the lobby tries to ban books, now the word, and criticism of apartheid itself.
Great representatives of the “only democracy in the ME.” If anyone can show the West the true face of Israeli freedom and democracy, it is them.
Because of this hundreds of thousands or millions of people will hear the words “Israeli Apartheid” for the first time.. marvellous.
Queers make a hell of a lot more people uncomfortable – let’s just ban the whole Pride march.
I quite agree. They should march under the banner
“Dick’s Hatband Brigade against Israeli Apartheid”.
Beautiful, moving video, thank you.
Send a message to Toronto City Council (ask them to let the LGBT community decide the direction of Pride) here: link to ricktelfer.ca
It’s a brave new world. I can only begin to imagine what these brave people have to put up with.
I’m an earthling.
P.S. In attacking these good people, The Lobby is digging itself deeper and deeper into a hole. Nothing says, “The Only Democracy in the Middle East”, like rabid attacks against gays, especially in Canada.
For all the progress, and this seems like an example of progress (that this issue is even being put out there), it is so insane that we still have to fight just to be able to use the correct word to describe the injustice we’re opposing. Hate speech? You have got to be kidding me. How about progressive, accurate speech.
What other country and its die-hard right-or-wrong defenders could get away with trying to block, muzzzle, intimidate a criticism of it’s regime/state using terms such as “apartheid,” or “racist,” or “imperialistic,” or “captitalistic” etc? How about “islamofacist,” or, even “socialist?”
Israel’s government, and AIPAC und minions, would demolish freedom of speech, a cornerstone of all Western states, and so many new states since the UN was first established, so many of whom have copied the US Declaration of Independence, and the US Constitution’s 1st Amendment as a model for their own? In China right now there is a major attempt to roll back the progress of freedom of speech, and of course, in Iran, the current regime has its hands full to stifle growing free speech there. Israel is looking more and more like a dinosaur, just another reactionary state the world is increasingly recognizing as such.
Why exactly is Canada taking such a hard right? Seriously? Are they really looking south and saying to themselves, “Gee, I wish we were more like the United States and/or Mexico.”
Its funny because when I talk to Canadians about that, even they are surprised about how far right the Harper government has taken them.
Not to be crass, but… why haven’t they gotten rid of him yet? :) I do remember he managed a political maneuver with the Royal Governor of Canada to block a cycle of elections in the last couple of years.
right wing nut stew sells well here via the propaganda press in canuckland… apparently we’re striving to be as dumbed down with harper as the usa got with bush… so far it’s working….
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