Latest news with #antiPalestinianRacism
CBC
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Report urges recognition of anti-Palestinian racism in Canada
A new report out of York University outlining dozens of incidents in the last two years is urging all levels of government to recognize anti-Palestinian racism as its own form of discrimination.
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Report on anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab racism will inform recommendations to government, special representative says
Canada's special representative on combatting Islamophobia says a new report that tracks anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism in this country since Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel will help shape her recommendations to the government on the issue. Amira Elghawaby was referring to a report from York University's Islamophobia Research Hub that looks at cases of harassment from 2023 and 2024 and was released in Ottawa Wednesday. 'This report will help inform the advice that I provide to the federal government,' Ms. Elghawaby told a news conference, adding that she will be reviewing the 15 recommendations in the document. 'We will be looking at where they are related directly to my mandate and then we will be having discussions with decision makers on these.' The report says there has been a rise in anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia, anti-Arab racism and antisemitism since the militant group Hamas launched a series of attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The Hamas attacks killed 1,200 people in Israel, which responded with a military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. What does Canada's recognition of a Palestinian state mean in practice? Researchers say the incidents include the targeting of young people in schools and postsecondary institutions and hate-motivated crimes. The report also refers to what it calls the 'Palestinian exception,' referring to incidents of censorship, discipline and punishment for those speaking out against violence by the Israeli state and for Palestinian human rights. The report's 15 recommendations include adopting a definition of anti-Palestinian racism at all levels of government, as well as related curriculum development, training and education. There's also a call for political and institutional leaders to speak out against such racism, provincewide reviews of how schools and school boards have handled reports of anti-Palestinian racism in schools, and creating a fund to support victims of hate-motivated crimes. 'Our hope is that this report contributes to efforts to combat the Palestine exception and strengthen democratic rights and freedoms for all,' said Nadia Hasan, director of the Islamophobia Research Hub. Carney's policy shift on Palestinian statehood met with cautious hope, criticism by Canadians 'If you go through the report, the incidents that we document here, they portray a picture of something very wrong. There is a problem that needs to be addressed, and it needs to be solved through a good-faith engagement with impacted communities.' She predicted difficult conversations on these issues, and questions on how to best proceed. 'But I think it can be done if the right processes are in place in how we consult, how we engage communities, and how we address the problem in a grounded way.' Nihad Jasser, a representative of the Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians, said the report documents how anti-Palestinian racism is real and happening in classrooms and workplaces. 'Students have been shamed for speaking about Palestine. These students are being denied the ability to mourn the death of their family members just because they are Palestinian,' she said. Ms. Elghawaby was appointed as Canada's first special representative on combatting Islamophobia in January, 2023. She said the report demonstrates that civil liberties in Canada have been threatened since 2023 with limits on freedom of expression around Palestine and the protection of Palestinian, Muslim and Arab Canadians. 'We know anti-Palestinian racism is a form of discrimination that can intersect with Islamophobia,' she said.
CBC
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Anti-Palestinian racism report calls for more oversight of education, policing and politics
Social Sharing A new report from the Islamophobia Research Hub at York University calls on governments across Canada to increase oversight on how universities, schools, police forces and Parliament deal with the recent spike in instances of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism. The report also calls on all levels of government in Canada to officially recognize May 15 as Nakba Day. Palestinians mark the day after Israel declared independence in 1948 as the beginning of the destruction of their homeland. "Provincial governments should develop curriculum, train staff and educate students on Palestinian culture, identity and history, including the history of the Nakba," the report published Wednesday said. It also wants all levels of government to "recognize and adopt" a definition of anti-Palestinian racism (APR) "as a distinct and detrimental form of racism that operates at multiple levels of state and society." The director of the research hub, Nadia Hasan, an assistant professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies at York University, said recognizing both Nakba Day and an official definition for APR would set Canada apart from other countries. "These are important things for Canada to take very seriously," Hasan said. "I think it would be a first and an important step for Canada to lead on." The report examines the increase in Islamophobic verbal and physical attacks directed at Arab and Palestinian Canadians since the beginning of the conflict between Hamas and Israel. The war was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities and military bases near Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, including more than 700 civilians, and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's military response has devastated the tiny, crowded enclave, killing more than 61,000 people — mostly civilians — according to Palestinian health authorities. The report says its findings are based on interviews conducted virtually with 16 Canadian community-based organizations that focus on addressing Islamophobia, APR and anti-Arab racism. Media reports were also used. The report does not include any first-hand accounts from victims or injured parties. Recommendations and calling out the CBC The report calls for greater oversight of post-secondary institutions by striking "advisory tables" made up of students and faculty to develop strategies for colleges and universities to use in combatting discrimination on campus. The authors of the report also call for those institutions to undergo third-party reviews of how they responded to incidents of Islamophobia and campus protests against the war in Gaza. They say school boards across Canada should also face province-wide reviews to determine how schools have dealt with incidents of anti-Palestinian racism and examine "cases that were insufficiently or never investigated." Aside from the increased scrutiny on universities, colleges and school boards across the county, the report wants to establish provincial and territorial "hate crime accountability units." The units would allow people alleging they have been the victims of discrimination to "report directly about law enforcement agencies' mishandling of hate-motivated crime cases." The report also calls for Canada's public broadcaster to be "reviewed to ensure fair and balanced coverage of Palestinian perspectives." This external review, the report says, should probe the possibility that CBC is disproportionately "rejecting Palestinian guest commentators" leading to biased media coverage. The report provides two reasons for its focus on CBC. The first is a report by a former employee who alleged she faced backlash for pitching "stories that would bring a balanced perspective" to the war in Gaza. The second reason is a letter sent to CBC signed by more than 500 members of the Racial Equity Media Collective asking the public broadcaster to "address an apparent pattern of anti-Palestinian bias, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism within the corporation's news and documentary culture." CBC's head of public affairs, Chuck Thompson, said an external review is not necessary because CBC is already accountable to the independent CBC Ombudsman, Maxime Bertrand, who regularly reviews complaints about the corporation's journalism. "CBC News has amplified countless Palestinian voices in our ongoing coverage of the conflict in Gaza," he said. "There are now thousands of stories we've published and broadcast about Israel and Gaza since 2023, all archived here … we think the work speaks for itself." The York University report references CBC News journalism covering dozens of instances of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism. A policy for MPs The report is also calling on Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein, who administers the Conflict of Interest Act and the code of conduct for MPs, to be given increased responsibilities. The commissioner, the report says, "should develop a clear and enforceable policy on how parliamentarians are to be held accountable when they disseminate disinformation, especially … when such acts target marginalized communities." It provides only one example of an MP allegedly spreading disinformation, a post on X by Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman. The post includes the line: "Stickers with ❤️s glorifying terror on campus popped up today at UBC." The report notes the stickers were falsely associated with the UBC Social Justice Centre. CBC News has reached out to the Official Opposition for reaction to the allegation but has yet to receive a response. The 15 recommendations contained in the report also call on the federal government to address issues with the temporary resident visa program for refugees fleeing Gaza and probe alleged Israeli foreign interference in Canada. A Senate report released November 2023 found Islamophobia remains a persistent problem in Canada and concrete action is required to reverse the growing tide of hate across the country. The report, the first of its kind in Canada, took a year and involved 21 public meetings and 138 witnesses. It said incidents of Islamophobia are a daily reality for many Muslims and that one in four Canadians do not trust Muslims. Police and advocacy organizations have also reported increases in antisemitic incidents. In the spring, B'nai Brith Canada reported that in 2024 the total number of reported cases of acts of hatred targeting Jews had reached a record high of 6,219 incidents.
