TORONTO — Despite an appeal by the Jewish human rights organization B’nai Brith Canada and the grassroots Christian and Jewish communities, authorities at Queen’s Park refuse to deny the use of the grounds of the Legislative Assembly for the annual “Al-Quds Day” rally this Saturday.
“The stated purpose of this rally is to commemorate "Al-Quds Day", a fictitious event created by the late antisemitic and anti-Christian Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khomeni,” said Frank Dimant, CEO, B’nai Brith Canada. “The event's connection to the despotic Iranian regime is not limited to a parroting of its invective against the Jewish State. Demonstrators often wave the flags of Hezbollah and Hamas — banned terror organizations in Canada — as we have seen at these and other anti-Israel rallies held in Calgary and Ottawa. The hateful nature of these events have been well documented, with previous rallies featuring calls for the violent destruction of the Jewish State, chants for Jews to be killed and that “Hitler should have finished the job”, and pro-Israel demonstrators violently attacked.”
“As the situation in the Middle East continues to develop, we are seeing repercussions here in Canada, with a stark increase in antisemitic vandalism and Jews across the country being physically assaulted. Antisemitic hatred fermented in many European capitals must not be allowed to manifest itself in Toronto in the form of rallies held to support terrorist organizations. These events must be wholly condemned and we are disappointed that officials at Queen’s Park would permit such a rally to take place on the grounds of the Legislative Assembly.”
“Any member of the community who witnesses or is the victim of an antisemitic incident should immediately call police and our 24-hour Anti-Hate Hotline at 1-800-892-BNAI [2624].”
