Leslie Roberts: A Jewish man is attacked in front of his daughter, his kippah thrown in a puddle
This is not political debate — it's the normalization of intimidation and, in some cases, the celebration of violence.
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On August 6, Hamas, itself, urged supporters to 'intensify popular pressure in all cities, capitals, and public squares' over the coming weekend — in both Arabic and English. That call is not abstract. It's happening here.
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It has been said more than once that eventually someone's going to get hurt. Is this that incident? We don't have to answer that question. We know what happened was enough to take further action. And yet here we are — same milquetoast response from authorities as everything else.
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The graffiti, the threats, the marches. What's it going to take for someone in a position of authority to end this campaign against the Jewish community? Where are the fellow Montrealers asking what has happened to our city — let alone Toronto, B.C., and the rest of the country?
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As a born-and-bred Montrealer, I feel we've let some of our Jewish neighbours, friends and family feel alone and unsupported. History will judge us for that, and so much more.
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Whether the Montreal attacker was motivated by ideology or mental illness, it is clear the broader climate is making such attacks more likely.
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Hate crimes thrive in an environment where they are minimized, dismissed and ignored. Our leaders have a choice: to speak out, clearly and unequivocally, against all forms of hate and political violence — or to tacitly allow these acts to become part of our new normal.
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Winnipeg Free Press
10 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Miami's Freedom Tower reopens as Trump ramps up arrests in city of Cuban migrant pride
MIAMI (AP) — For decades, its powerful lighthouse illuminated Miami's Biscayne Bay, and during the height of the Cold War, what was known as the Freedom Tower stood as a beacon of hope for hundreds of thousands of Cubans fleeing communist rule. The 14-story Spanish Revival skyscraper was where, from 1962 to 1974, the U.S. State Department welcomed Cuban refugees with medical services, English classes, and comfort kits containing essentials and something wholly exotic to the new arrivals: peanut butter. After decades of neglect, what was once Miami's tallest building is getting a well-deserved facelift. Next month, it will reopen as a museum honoring the history of Cuban exiles with immersive, state-of-the-art exhibits that explore the meaning of migration, freedom and homeland. Ellis Island of the South The reopening of what's dubbed the Ellis Island of the South comes at a sensitive moment. Cuban Americans — who dominate politics in Miami — voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in the last presidential election. But the president's crackdown on migrants — including Cubans — is increasingly viewed as a betrayal and has left many second-guessing that support. Not surprisingly, recent protests against Trump have gathered outside the tower. The organizers of the museum, while tiptoeing around the present-day politics, are nonetheless unapologetic in their embrace of the American dream. In Miami, a thriving crossroads where 70% of residents speak Spanish as their first language and more than half are foreign-born, compassion for migrants runs deep. 'It's cyclical,' said Rene Ramos, the head archivist at Miami Dade College, which spearheaded the $65 million renovation. 'This country has had moments where it clearly saw the value of immigrants and other moments when it did not. What we're doing here is reminding people what immigrants can accomplish when they're given the opportunity.' The iconic building opened in 1925 as the headquarters of the once-acclaimed Miami Daily News, which shuttered decades ago. It was designed, in the style of a Moorish bell tower from Seville, Spain, by the New York architectural firm Schultze & Weaver, which was behind some of the most glamorous hotels, theaters and office towers of the era. It was renamed the Freedom Tower when President John F. Kennedy launched the Cuban Refugee Assistance Program to resettle the streams of middle-class individuals and families fleeing Fidel Castro's revolution. It's estimated that nearly 400,000 Cubans relied on services provided at the tower by the U.S. government in coordination with the then-fledgling Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami. The total cost of the refugee assistance ran over $730 million by 1971 — almost $6 billion in today's dollars — a U.S. government report from that year found. A safe place for refugees Known to the Spanish-speaking migrants as 'El Refugio,' or 'The Refuge,' it was a safe place to get vaccines, fill out paperwork, and receive financial assistance of around $120 per month. In the Grand Hall, with its giant windows and Corinthian columns, the Pizarra de la Suerte — the Bulletin Board of Good Luck — carried job notices to help the Cubans adjust to their new life, according to a replica of the hall in the museum. At the time, metropolitan Miami was a tropical tourist town, with fewer than 1 million inhabitants. Most émigrés fanned out across the United States. 'They weren't staying in Miami because they didn't want warmth and sunshine. There were no jobs,' said Madeline Pumariega, the president of Miami Dade College, whose own Cuban parents hightailed it to Amarillo, Texas, after arriving here. But over time, the exiles would trudge back from the cold and snow to put their unmistakable Cuban stamp on what over the ensuing decades would become one of America's most vibrant cultural and economic hubs. Jorge Malagón, who teaches history at Miami Dade College, was just 5 when he arrived. But he still wells up recalling the hardship of his departure — when Cuban customs officials ripped open his teddy bear looking for contraband jewelry — and arriving in Miami on a 'Freedom Flight' paid for by the U.S. government and being immediately shuttled in a school bus from the tarmac to the Freedom Tower. 'The memories never go away,' said Malagón, who recalls being welcomed with a bar of unfamiliar peanut butter and a block of government cheese. 'To this day, a grilled cheese sandwich with cheap, Velveeta processed cheese is still comfort food to me.' The Freedom Tower, a national historic landmark, was long ago overtaken by Miami's fast-growing steel and glass skyline. Abandoned for years, it was rescued in 1997 by Cuban American businessman Jorge Mas Canosa, a top exile opponent of Castro. He later sold it to a prominent Cuban American family and it was then donated to Miami Dade College. Even in a dilapidated state, the tower remained a mecca of the Cuban diaspora. In 2003, tens of thousands of salsa fans gathered here to show their respects to Cuban-born singer Celia Cruz. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents migrated from Cuba, used it as the backdrop to announce his bid for the U.S. presidency in 2015. The current restoration was funded by $25 million investment from the state of Florida, with additional funding from MDC, private donors and federal government grants. Galleries designed by the same firm behind New York City's National September 11 Memorial & Museum provide a gripping account of the Cuban American journey to freedom. They include exhibits dedicated to Victims of Communism, the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion that the CIA organized against Castro, and the 14,000 unaccompanied minors sent by their parents as part of the U.S.-led Operation Peter Pan. Giant media screens project scenes of protest and acts of courage by newer residents of the Magic City fleeing persecution in Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua. There's also a makeshift recording studio for those who passed through the Freedom Tower to add their testimony to an archive of over 300 oral history interviews with exiles, including prominent voices like singer Gloria Estefan. Emerging from the dark galleries of often traumatic stories of dislocation and exile, the museum's final stop is a gallery flooded with all the sun, salsa and pastel hues that make modern-day Miami so beloved. 'Miami and the world would not be what it is today without them,' said Pumariega. 'That's important and so is the contributions that immigrants play in our country, and I think will continue to play beyond this moment.'
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Netanyahu hints that ceasefire efforts now focus on deal to release all remaining hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hinted that ceasefire efforts in Gaza are now focused on a comprehensive deal that would release the remaining hostages all at once, rather than in phases. Arab officials told the Associated Press last week that mediators Egypt and Qatar were preparing a new framework for a deal that would include the release of all remaining hostages in one go in return for a lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The long-running indirect talks appeared to break down last month. But a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo for ceasefire talks on Tuesday, Egypt's state-run Qahera news channel reported, a sign that efforts have not been abandoned after 22 months of war. Israel has threatened to widen its military offensive against Hamas to the areas of Gaza that it does not yet control, and where most of the territory's two million residents have sought refuge. Those plans have sparked international condemnation and criticism within Israel, and could be intended to raise pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire. The militants still hold 50 hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. Israel believes around 20 of them are alive. In an interview with Israel's i24 News network broadcast Tuesday, Netanyahu was asked if the window had closed on a partial ceasefire deal. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters that Cairo is still trying to advance an earlier proposal for an initial 60-day ceasefire, the release of some hostages and an influx of humanitarian aid before further talks on a lasting truce. 'I think it's behind us,' Netanyahu replied. 'We tried, we made all kinds of attempts, we went through a lot, but it turned out that they were just misleading us.' 'I want all of them,' he said of the hostages. 'The release of all the hostages, both alive and dead – that's the stage we're at.' He added, however, that Israel's demands haven't changed, and that the war will end only when all hostages are returned and Hamas has surrendered. He has said that even then, Israel will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Hamas has long called for a comprehensive deal but says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The militant group has refused to lay down its arms, as Israel has demanded. Foreign Minister Anand says suffering in Gaza is 'unimaginable' in joint global statement urging unrestricted aid The United Nations on Tuesday warned that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric reported the warning from the World Food Program and said Gaza's Health Ministry told UN staff in Gaza that five people died over the last 24 hours from malnutrition and starvation. The ministry says 121 adults and 101 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war. 'Against this backdrop, humanitarian supplies entering Gaza remain far below the minimum required to meet people's immense needs,' Dujarric said. The UN and its humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to bring aid into Gaza, he said, but still face significant delays and impediments from Israeli authorities that prevent the delivery of food and other essentials at the scale needed. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in that 2023 attack. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's air and ground offensive has since displaced most of Gaza's population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. It has killed more than 61,400 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. In a separate development, the Israeli military said it recently struck a group of militants in Gaza who were disguised as aid workers and using a car with the logo of international charity World Central Kitchen. The army said it carried out an air strike on the men after confirming with the charity that they were not affiliated with it and that the car did not belong to it. World Central Kitchen confirmed that the men and the vehicle were not affiliated with it. 'We strongly condemn anyone posing as World Central Kitchen or other humanitarians, as this endangers civilians and aid workers,' it said in a statement. The military shared video footage showing several men in yellow vests standing around a vehicle with the charity's logo on its roof. The military said five of the men were armed. The charity, founded in 2010, dispatches teams that can quickly provide meals on a mass scale in conflict zones and after natural disasters. In April, an Israeli strike killed seven World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza. Israel quickly admitted it had mistakenly killed the aid workers and launched an investigation. In November, an Israeli strike killed five people, including a World Central Kitchen worker who Israel said was part of the Hamas attack that sparked the war. The charity said at the time that it was unaware the employee had any connection to the attack.
National Post
3 hours ago
- National Post
U.S. offers $5M reward for arrest of powerful Haitian gang leader known as ‘Barbecue'
Article content The surge in violence led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was locked out of his country while on an official visit to Kenya. Article content The gang federation continues to attack once peaceful communities in Port-au-Prince, and it is accused of helping gangs in Haiti's central region. Article content Also indicted is Bazile Richardson, whom officials say is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Haiti who grew up with Cherizier and lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Article content Both are accused of leading a 'wide-ranging conspiracy' by directly soliciting money transfers from members of the Haitian diaspora to raise funds for Cherizier's gang activities in Haiti, according to the indictment. It stated that the money was used to pay the salaries of gang members and buy weapons from illegal dealers in Haiti. Most of the firearms are smuggled in from the U.S. since Haiti does not produce weapons. Article content According to the indictment, there are two other unnamed co-conspirators from Haiti who live in New York and Massachusetts, and five others who live in Haiti. Article content Cherizier said in a video posted on social media that Richardson never sent him money to finance anything in Haiti. Article content 'If the FBI wants me, I'm here. I'm willing to collaborate with them on one condition, there can be no lies told,' Cherizier said, speaking in English. Article content It was not immediately clear if Richardson had an attorney. Article content The indictment noted that Cherizier and Richardson have acknowledged the sanctions against Cherizier, adding that the alleged conspiracy began around December 2020 and continued through January of this year. Article content Article content One voice memo that an unidentified co-conspirator in Haiti allegedly sent to Richardson stated: 'If I have backup, we will take the power, and you will be able to come back to your country. You will need to serve in the new government.' Article content Richardson forwarded the alleged memo to Cherizier in June 2022, nearly a year after former President Jovenel Moise was killed at his private residence. Article content Another person identified only as a Haitian co-conspirator allegedly sent a voice memo to Richardson saying, 'we want to start a revolution in Haiti and are trying to collect funds.' Part of the plan was to have 1,000 individuals give $20 each or 1 million Haitians abroad give $1 each, as well as collect money from 1,000 people for each of Haiti's 10 regions, according to the indictment. Article content Article content 'With this money, they can buy pick-up trucks, weapons, ammunition, clothing to include T-shirts, boots and hats. We want to change everything in Haiti,' according to one alleged voice memo. Article content In June 2021, Cherizier held a press conference announcing the start of a revolution. Article content A crackdown on violence Article content The indictment comes as gang violence continues to surge in Haiti's capital and beyond, with gunmen kidnapping an Irish missionary and seven other people, including a 3-year-old, from an orphanage earlier this month. Article content The office of Haiti's prime minister did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the indictment. Article content Johnston said the broader strategy in the fight against gangs remains unclear. Article content Darren Cox, acting assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, said the bureau's Miami office is leading the effort to apprehend Cherizier. Article content 'The FBI is focused more than ever on crushing violent crime,' Cox said. 'There is no safe haven for them, or the people like them.' Article content
