Speech from PM Harper on opposing anti-Semitism

Yet another reason why I support our Right Honourable Prime Minister whole-heartedly... I've reposted in it's entirety his speech today.

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the Ottawa Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism
November 8, 2010
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today made the following remarks at the Ottawa Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism:

“Members of the Steering Committee, fellow parliamentarians, Ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by saying how delighted I am to see so many of you from around the world, gathered here in Ottawa for the second annual conference of the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism.

“It is a sign, not only of your commitment to our common cause, but also of the momentum established at the London Conference last year. It is, therefore, a great sign of hope.

“History teaches us that anti-Semitism is a tenacious and particularly dangerous form of hatred. And recent events are demonstrating that this hatred is now in resurgence throughout the world. That is why the work of the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism has never been so important or timely as it is now.

“On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I commend you and support you in the great and important work that you are doing.

“I would like to thank Minister Jason Kenney, for inviting the ICCA to Ottawa, and for his outstanding record of leadership in combating anti-Semitism.

“I would like also to thank my introducer and friend, Scott Reid, Chair of the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism, and Mario Silva, Vice Chair, for organizing this conference.

“And I would like to thank all my colleagues in the Parliament of Canada here today, including Professor Irwin Cotler, for their dedication to your mission.

“Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, two weeks ago I visited Ukraine for the first time.

“In Kiev I laid a wreath at Babi Yar, the site of one of the numerous atrocities of the Holocaust. I was left there with much the same impression as I had in Auschwitz in 2008 — that such horrors defy all comprehension.

“At the killing grounds of Babyn Yar, I knew I was standing in a place where evil — evil at its most cruel, obscene, and grotesque — had been unleashed. But while evil of this magnitude may be unfathomable, it is nonetheless a fact.

“It is a fact of history. And it is a fact of our nature — that humans can choose to be inhuman. This is the paradox of freedom. That awesome power, that grave responsibility — to choose between good and evil.

“Let us not forget that even in the darkest hours of the Holocaust, men were free to choose good. And some did. That is the eternal witness of the Righteous Among the Nations. And let us not forget that even now, there are those who would choose evil and would launch another Holocaust, if left unchecked. That is the challenge before us today.

“The horror of the Holocaust is unique, but it is just one chapter in the long and unbroken history of anti-Semitism. Yet, in contemporary debates that influence the fate of the Jewish homeland, unfortunately, there are those who reject the language of good and evil. They say that the situation is not black and white, that we mustn’t choose sides.

“In response to this resurgence of moral ambivalence on these issues, we must speak clearly. Remembering the Holocaust is not merely an act of historical recognition.

“It must also be an understanding and an undertaking. An understanding that the same threats exist today. And an undertaking of a solemn responsibility to fight those threats.

“Jews today in many parts of the world and many different settings are increasingly subjected to vandalism, threats, slurs, and just plain, old-fashioned lies.

“Let me draw your attention to some particularly disturbing trends. Anti-Semitism has gained a place at our universities, where at times it is not the mob who are removed, but the Jewish students under attack. And, under the shadow of a hateful ideology with global ambitions, one which targets the Jewish homeland as a scapegoat, Jews are savagely attacked around the world, such as, most appallingly, in Mumbai in 2008.

“One ruthless champion of that ideology brazenly threatens to ‘wipe Israel off the map,’ and time and again flouts the obligations that his country has taken under international treaties. I could go on, but I know that you will agree on one point: that this is all too familiar.

“We have seen all this before. And we have no excuse to be complacent. In fact we have a duty to take action. And for all of us, that starts at home.

“In Canada, we have taken a number of steps to assess and combat anti-Semitism in our own country. You will no doubt hear from my Canadian colleagues about the measures we have taken to date.

“I will mention for the time being that, for the first time, we are dealing with Canada’s own record of officially sanctioned anti-Semitism. We have created a fund for education about our country’s deliberate rejection of Jewish refugees before and during the Second World War.

“But of course we must also combat anti-Semitism beyond our borders, an evolving, global phenomenon. And we must recognize, that while its substance is as crude as ever, its method is now more sophisticated.

“Harnessing disparate anti-Semitic, anti-American and anti-Western ideologies, it targets the Jewish people by targeting the Jewish homeland, Israel, as the source of injustice and conflict in the world, and uses, perversely, the language of human rights to do so.

“We must be relentless in exposing this new anti-SemitismDemonization, double standards, delegitimization, the three D’s, it is the responsibility of us all to stand up to them.

“And I know, by the way, because I have the bruises to show for it, that whether it is at the United Nations, or any other international forum, the easy thing to do is simply to just get along and go along with this anti-Israeli rhetoric, to pretend it is just being even-handed, and to excuse oneself with the label of ‘honest broker.’ There are, after all, a lot more votes, a lot more, in being anti-Israeli than in taking a stand. But, as long as I am Prime Minister, whether it is at the UN or the Francophonie or anywhere else, Canada will take that stand, whatever the cost. And friends, I say this not just because it is the right thing to do, but because history shows us, and the ideology of the anti-Israeli mob tells us all too well if we listen to it, that those who threaten the existence of the Jewish people are a threat to all of us.

“Earlier I noted the paradox of freedom. It is freedom that makes us human. Whether it leads to heroism or depravity depends on how we use it.

“As the spectre of anti-Semitism spreads, our responsibility becomes increasingly clear. We are citizens of free countries. We have the right, and therefore the obligation, to speak out and to act. We are free citizens, but also the elected representatives of free peoples. We have a solemn duty to defend the vulnerable, to challenge the aggressor, to protect and promote human rights, human dignity, at home and abroad. None of us really knows whether we would choose to do good, in the extreme circumstances of the Righteous. But we do know there are those today who would choose to do evil, if they are so permitted. Thus, we must use our freedom now, and confront them and their anti-Semitism at every turn.

“That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the purpose of our intervention today: our shared determination to confront this terrible hatred. The work we have undertaken, in our own countries and in cooperation with one another, is a sign of hope.

“Our work together is a sign of hope, just as the existence and persistence of the Jewish homeland is a sign of hope. And it is here that history serves not to warn but to inspire.

“As I said on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, Israel appeared as a light, in a world emerging from deep darkness. Against all odds, that light has not been extinguished. It burns bright, upheld by the universal principles of all civilized nations — freedom, democracy and justice.

“By working together more closely in the family of civilized nations, we affirm and strengthen those principles. And we declare our faith in humanity’s future in the power of good over evil.

“Thank you for all you are doing to spread that faith. And thank you for your kind attention.

“Thank you very much.”

"Daniel in the lions den" - Lone high school student stands up to angry anti-Israel mob

Props to this high school kid for taking a stand against tyranny and oppression... the oppression of the masses, where the many are able to drown out the voices of reason by shouting louder. (in typical leftist fashion)

"Humanitarian" supplies found aboard siezed ship

Gasmasks, bullet-proof vests, and night-vision goggles... yup, all just standard issue for the modern aid worker... and the search is not yet complete.

According to the defense officials, the IDF has identified about 50 passengers on the ship who could have terrorist connections with global jihad-affiliated groups.

During its searches of the Mavi Marmara on Tuesday, the military also discovered a cache of bulletproof vests and night-vision goggles, as well as gas masks. On Monday morning, at least nine foreign activists were killed during the navy’s takeover of the Mavi Marmara, which was trying to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The group of over 50 passengers with possible terror connections have refused to identify themselves and were not carrying passports. Many of them were carrying envelopes packed with thousands of dollars in cash.

The military is working to identify the passengers and is looking into the possibility that some of them have been involved in terror attacks. Some of them are apparently known Islamic extremists.

Having to watching Israeli news for updates

Cause you know you won't get the straight goods from any North American news outlet... especially the report (which I'm sure is to come) that weapons were in fact found on board.

Oh, did you hear that the IDF offered to deliver all the humanitarian aid on board the ships themselves if the folks on board would surrender? And how the only response that the Israeli Navy got back to their offer was cursing in Arabic and English? Funny how no one in our media outlets reported those little facts, eh?

Ayalon: Flotilla was 'an armada of hate and violence'

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said that the flotilla of ships "was an armada of hate and violence."

Speaking at a Jerusalem press conference on Monday morning. "It was a premeditated and outrageous provocation" and its organizers had ties to global Jihad, al Qaida and Hamas, said Ayalon.

"Their intent was violent, their methods were violent and their results were unfortunately violent," Ayalon said.

"Israel regrets the loss of life and did everything it could to avoid this outcome," Ayalon stressed, adding that Israel had offered to transport the humanitarian cargo on board the ship to Gaza.

"The organizers on the ship did not heed the calls of our forces this morning to peacefully follow them and bring a peaceful closure to this event," said Ayalon, iterating that the successful arrival of the flotilla in Gaza would have created "a corridor of arms smuggling."

The OTHER side of the Israel Apartheid Week poster

I'm sure you've all seen this poster from the "supporters" of "Palestine", with their recent "Israeli Apartheid Week"...

So I got to thinking tonight, "Have you ever wondered what's behind the kid?"  You know, how it looks from the chopper pilot's perspective?

When the organizers show some intelectual honesty, and openly condemn the "human sheild" tactics of Hamas, then MAYBE I'll give them a listen.

"Yezterdae" - Video remembering the Holocaust

Jeremy Andrews, a high school friend of mine who's an history undergrad at U of T, was given a fellowship by the University of Toronto's Jackman Humanities Institute to create a music video for a rap song he'd written remembering the Holocaust.

This is his finished product... Perpetrators-Bystanders-Victims (Yezterdae)
(WARNING - Video contains actual Holocaust footage that some may find disturbing... though at times like this, I think we need to see the images, that we may never forget, and never repeat, this awful crime)

May we never forget...

CJC says anti-Israel protests crossed the line of "hate speech"

Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks the anti-Israel protests last week crossed the line. I reaffirm what I said then... such bigoted and racist "speech" has no place in a modern and democratic country like Canada.

Actually, I'll clarify that... I think you should be free to say stupid things like that, so long as the authorities have enough of a spine to throw your butt in the slammer for it.

Publicly threating an entire people group with genocide is unacceptable... PERIOD.

You got that, moron? This is the first guy who should be arrested, for using a bullhorn to loudly proclaim,

"You're [Israel and all Jews] being wiped off the planet, AND THAT'S A PROMISE"

Fortunately, the Toronto Police Service had an officer standing right in front of that racist, so IDing him shouldn't be a problem... RIGHT GUYS? (although why he wasn't arrested on the spot is still a question that the Toronto Police Service needs to answer... unless it's their opinion that such a proclamation does NOT constitue hate speech)

And here's a photo of the second guy that should be arrested... for being idiotic enough to support these rallies, and for helping to fan the flames of racist and anti-Semetic sentiment here in Canada.

BREAKING: CBC host asks a good question about Hamas in Gaza!

We're all painfully aware of the severe left-wing bias of the CBC, depsite all their protests to the contrary. But tonight, on CBC's "As It Happens", the host (not sure which one it was) asked one of the most pointed, direct, and truth probing questions that I've EVER heard on the CBC, exposing the truth about Hamas.

During a segment discussing the number of civilian casualties during the current IDF operation, the point was clearly made that Hamas has been purposely locating their bases and weapons caches within urban population centres. Of course, everyone with a brain knows this is true, but I was shocked to actually hear that bit of truth reported on the CBC. But I was in for an even greater shock with one of the next questions. She asked the interviewee the following question, in regards to the civilian deaths among the Palestinians in Gaza: "Do you think Hamas NEEDS these civilian casualties in order to survive?"

A question which every sane thinking person already knows the answer to... YES, of course they do, and it's clearly a part of their cold-blooded calculations. They know full well (or rather, KNEW full well, in the past) that the IDF will (would, in the past) think twice about bombing such locations, and that if the IDF were to bomb them, they'd face international condemnation. That's why Hamas has been pretty much untouchable to Israel for all these years.

But this current conflict is where the tables are finally being turned. Israel and the IDF has finally said, "Enough is enough", and have devised their current strategy... clearly warning the local population of their impending attack. They're using every means available... advising the civilian population where they're targeting next via radio, dropping leaflets, and even making phone calls to the homes being targeted when possible.

And the strategy is finally working... I saw footage last night of Palestinians packing up their cars and getting out of the soon to be targeted areas. Yes, there have been a large number of deaths so far, and to me, any passing of lives from this realm to the next is regrettable. However, it looks like the people of Gaza have got the point, and the human shields that Hamas assumed they'd be able to use are getting out of the way.

I heard one story today of Hamas fighters refusing to go out and man the mortars, knowing they'd be blown sky-high if they did. So one of their leaders goes out himself with two "volunteers" to go and launch the mortars himself... and was promptly blown sky-high. I'm thinking those "fighters" who had the good sense to keep their heads down will be strongly considering turning in their green Hamas bandannas right about now.

If things continue the way they have in the last few days, things are looking up for real peace in the region. The IDF has taken out a large number of Hamas fighters and weapons caches, supporters of Hamas are starting to lose faith in their "heroes", and some amongst the civilian population are coming to realize that Hamas only spells their doom, not their ultimate victory.

As such, real peace may actually have a real chance in the region sometime soon.

An appeal to the police... arrest the RACISTS

A request to the RCMP, and the Toronto Police Services... please review all available videos of the various anti-Israel rallies held in Canada over the last few days, like the one posted below, and attempt to find and arrest the individuals who made racially motived statements like, "You're [Israel and all Jews] being wiped off the planet, AND THAT'S A PROMISE". For example, take a good look at this anti-Semitic RACIST...

If anyone can put a name to that face, please contact the Toronto Police Services, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Seeing as they had an officer standing DIRECTLY in front of the lovely fellow, perhaps we should all demand to know why he wasn't arrested on the spot. If you feel so inclined, you can contact the media relations desk here via their web submission form.

That joker makes his appearance in the video below at the 4:20 mark, and spews his hate filled rhetoric till the 5:00 mark. If I'm correct, I believe the above quote constitutes a racially motivated threat... don't you? (please see the 4:20 mark to see his face, and then listen to his racially motivated off camera statement at the 4:55 mark)



Take a good look at the video, and see what other hate crimes occured right here on Canadian soil last week, under the guise of a "peaceful protest". Gotta love all the Hezbollah flags... personally, since it's a banned terror organization, I say we arrest folks at protests who are carrying them under various terror or organized crime or hate laws, take your pick.

All in all, it was a revolting display of hate, and has no place here in Canadian society. For SHAME.

Finally some sanity in the Liberal Party of Canada

I have to give credit where credit is due... I tip my hat to newly minted Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, who it appears may have given a strong "hint" (though nothing formally written down, which is understandable) to his MP's not to show up at any of the dispicible anti-Israel rallies that were held by various Hamas and Hezbollah supporting groups this past week... like the CUPE and USW supported ones in Toronto, where Syd Ryan gave a speech in support of Hamas on January 3rd.

A wise move Mr. Ignatieff, and commendable. Thank you for showing your support for democracy, and the right for a nation to defend oneself.

Let's boycott Syd Ryan instead

Once again, but worse than ever before, the unabashed anti-semetic bigotry of the left is revealed by Syd Ryan, who's calling for a boycott of all professors and teachers who don't support Hamas.

Technically, he's only advocating that Ontario universities refuse to hire people who don't condemn Israel, but in my mind, if he's not also advocating for a condemnation of Hamas, it's an outright acceptance of their actions, which is what started this whole thing in the first place.

The National Post's Jonathan Kay said it well in his Full Comment posting yesterday...

Jonathan Kay on the disgusting anti-Israeli bigtory of Sid Ryan and CUPE Ontario
Posted: January 05, 2009, 5:31 PM by Jonathan Kay

As usual when Israel fights back at terrorists, Canadian leftists are lining up behind the men in the masks and suicide vests. But no one has disgraced himself — and his organization — quite so much as Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

Mr. Ryan’s Gaza plan: Boycott the victim. In a Jan. 5 press release, he declared: “We are ready to say Israeli academics should not be on our campuses unless they explicitly condemn the [Dec. 29 bombing of the Islamic University in Gaza] and the assault on Gaza in general. It’s a logical next step.”

Never mind that Israel’s campaign in Gaza has been humane by military standards — surgically killing hundreds of Hamas gunmen yet only a few dozen of their human shields. And never mind that the Islamic University is a suspected arms depot for Hamas. Where, we ask, were the CUPE boycotts against academics from Russia, China, Sri Lanka, or any of the many other nations whose battles against terrorists have resulted in a far greater civilian toll?

Nowhere. On this file, Mr. Ryan and his fellow CUPE leaders care about demonizing only one country: the Jewish state.

There’s a name for that kind of bigotry, isn’t there? Remember to speak its name plainly next time you meet a CUPE Ontario employee.

jkay@nationalpost.com

Hey Syd... I support Israel's "No Rockets for Peace" campaign. Why don't you?

I support Israel's "No Rockets for Peace" Campaign

Don't you?

Personally, I can't believe ANYONE could support a terrorists "right" to launch rockets on civilians, but hey... to each their own.

"Iggy's double-speak on Israel"

Hot off the presses of the National Post, by Rochelle Wilner. (FULL DISCLOSURE, she's our candidate for York Centre in the next election)

Rochelle Wilner: Michael Ignatieff's double-speak on Israel
Posted: May 09, 2008, 10:45 AM by Marni Soupcoff
Israel, Rochelle Wilner

On Sunday, April 13, Michael Ignatieff gave a speech at Toronto's Holy Blossom Temple. It was supposed to clear the air with the Jewish community in regard to his negative comments about Israel during last summer's Israel-Hezbollah war. And one media headline from last month duly claimed "Ignatieff Apologizes for Israeli War Crime Comment."

Being keenly interested in the matter, I secured a transcript of the speech and searched for the words, "I was wrong" or "I am sorry." I did not find them.

Instead, the deputy Liberal leader made himself out to be the victim. He emphasized how badly he felt that "a single remark" had resulted in "many of [his] Jewish friends ….branding [him] an enemy of Israel."

Ignatieff's admission that his comment was the "most painful error of my political life" simply means that he is sorry that what he said caused him political problems. He does not say his words were factually wrong. Rather, he questions whether he would have been better off if he had said that Israel "may have failed to comply with the Geneva Conventions and the laws of war" without the accusation of committing "war crimes."

Yet many experts on international law and war crimes have expressed the opinion that Israel is guilty of none of these breaches. In this view, Israel cannot be held responsible for civilian casualties if the enemy uses those civilians as human shields while launching military strikes against Israeli territories.

Ignatieff says that Canada can "never remain neutral between Israel and those enemies — Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran — who deny Israel's right to exist, deny the Holocaust and seek her destruction." It's breathtaking that he makes this worthy statement after having accused Israel of war crimes and/or breaching international conventions. Demanding that Israel and only Israel not be allowed to defend herself from terrorist aggression is tantamount to giving victory to those same enemies of not only the Jewish state, but also democracy and civilization as we know it.

What is even more astounding about this "never neutral' comment is the fact that Ignatieff's Liberal party has repeatedly criticized the Harper government for reversing Canada's record as a so-called "neutral broker" in the Middle East. That is to say, Ignatieff and his fellow Liberals have attacked the Harper government for exhibiting the courage and moral fortitude to take a principled stand in support of Israel — the only democracy in the Middle East — something that the Liberals were never able to do.

Equally breathtaking, given the previous Liberal government's record of voting against Israel at the UN, was Ignatieff's claim that his party "will never support one-sided condemnations of Israel." Has no one told him that this is exactly what Liberal governments have done?

Liberals have never fully quit their jobs as apologists for the Tamil Tigers, despite advice from CSIS to do so. Nor have they condemned Liberal Members of Parliament marching in Montreal, arm-in-arm, with supporters of Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 — the same summer that Michael Ignatieff accused Israel of being guilty of war crimes.

So what was this speech all about? I would suggest that Liberals are now concerned about a strong swing in Jewish support for the Conservatives. So Ignatieff comes to Toronto's Jewish community to make nice — but not to actually apologize for being wrong about what he said.

As for me, I'll stick with the consistent, ethical, moral position of Stephen Harper, who says what he means and means what he says. No Ivy League dissembling necessary!

-Rochelle Wilner is a past president of B'nai Brith Canada, a long-standing human rights activist, and the Conservative Party of Canada's federal candidate in York Centre.