October 20, Toronto — Press conference with community organizations in Toronto, including the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF), Independent Jewish Voices, Toronto Centre for Palestine, Scarborough SW for Palestine, and World Beyond War. // Reporting by Camila Escalante

Media Statement -
A Broad Coalition of Community Advocates and Organizers Are Calling on Canada to Take a Stand Against U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East and Stop Criminalizing Canadians Opposing Genocide and War Crimes

Joint Statement Released Ahead of the “Hands Off the Middle East” March in Toronto

MEDIA CONTACT: Stephen Ellis, stephen@ellislaw.ca, 647-869-7651 (mobile)

Toronto, ON — A coalition of community organizations, lawyers and activists have come together ahead of the “Hands Off the Middle East” march starting outside the U.S. consulate in Toronto today to call on Canada to take a stand against U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and stop criminalizing Canadians opposing genocide and war crimes.

Participating organizations are deeply concerned about the escalating clampdown on the civil rights of Palestine solidarity activists across Canada. Police violence and harassment have increased as well as legislative interference by municipal, provincial and federal governments in the democratic rights of Palestinian activists and their allies.

Recent examples of this trend include ongoing police violence against and arrests of solidarity activists, the overcharging of these activists in the system, the very-public police harassment of Fort Erie lawyer, Joanna Berry, and the outrageous and undemocratic designation of Samidoun as a “terrorist” organization, to name just a few.

This is part of an overall increase in anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism, and Islamophobia, being fostered by the media, all levels of Canadian government, and pressure from Israel lobby groups. For more than a year now, Canadian government, media and civil society have been complicit in assisting ethnic cleansing and genocide in Palestine, and more recently supporting the displacement and unlawful killing of civilians in Lebanon, while undermining democratic rights here at home. This cannot continue.

More and more community organizations and advocates are coming together to express our outrage at the rise in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism in our schools and places of business, and the assault on our right to freedom of expression in the public square.

We are calling on Canada to:
Take a stand against U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East now!
Stop criminalizing Canadians opposing genocide and war crimes!
Impose an immediate two-way arms embargo on the state of Israel!