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October 2, 2024
MONTREAL – B’nai Brith Canada has warned university administrators and political leaders in Montreal that it will hold them accountable if insufficient measures are taken to prevent the escalation of anti-Semitic extremism at rallies planned to celebrate the first anniversary of the brutal Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7.
“B’nai Brith will not tolerate radicals promoting hatred and endangering the well-being of our community,” said Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy for B’nai Brith Canada. “Montreal, its universities and its police forces have been warned.
Major protests and student strikes next week have already been announced on social media. One of the groups affected is the self-proclaimed “Solidarity for Palestinian Honor and Resistance” (SPHR) movement, which has chapters at McGill University and Concordia University. A September 28 statement (since deleted) on the organization’s Instagram urged students to “commemorate the historic breach of the colonial border wall and a year of heroic Palestinian resistance.” Images associated with the post show Hamas terrorists destroying Israeli tanks and breaching the Gaza security fence on October 7, 2023.
SPHR’s accreditation was recently revoked by the Society of Students of McGill University (SSMU) after years of advocacy by B’nai Brith.
“These planned protests are clearly intended to celebrate the abhorrent actions of Hamas – a Canadian-designated terrorist organization,” says B’nai Brith in his letter, addressed to the mayors of Montreal and Westmount, the presidents of McGill and Concordia, to the Montreal police chief and François Bonnardel, Quebec Minister of Public Security. “On the day when Jews around the world and in Montreal will mourn the victims and hostages of the atrocities committed by Hamas, it is reprehensible that Montrealers plan to celebrate them openly, loudly and publicly.
“This unequivocally exceeds the limits of acceptable behavior in Canada and goes against Quebec and Canadian values. »
B’nai Brith’s official notice comes just two days after protesters rioted on Concordia’s downtown campus, throwing Molotov cocktails at police and vandalizing parts of the Hall Building. Police made several arrests in connection with the incident.
“It makes no sense that after a year of lawlessness on the streets of Montreal, we still cannot trust our leaders to control radicals who openly celebrate acts of terrorism,” said Henry Topas, regional director of B ‘nai Brith Canada for Quebec. “We call on authorities to ensure the protection of the Jewish community and arrest individuals who break our laws by inciting violence and spreading hatred. »
