On February 13, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced as antisemitic a pro-Palestinian protest on Monday that passed by Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on its way to the US consulate because one or two protesters climbed the scaffold. of the building Thanks to the Ben Cohen of the Toronto Star, we found out that it was Spider-Man for Palestine who climbed the scaffold. He is at all the marches and regularly climbs scaffolds. He probably didn’t even notice it was a Jewish hospital. Yet without hesitation Trudeau, Doug Ford and even Mayor Olivia Chow and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh denounced the protest as antisemitic.
I was on that march at its beginning in front of the Israeli embassy at Yonge and Dundas streets. It started at 5:30 p.m. as an emergency protest of Israel’s attack on Rafah. As most pro-Palestinian marches, it continued marching around town, down Yonge to College St. and from College to University Ave. and down to the US consulate. Mount Sinai Hosptial is on the march route every week and no-one has ever stopped there. Almost every week much to the amazement of this old protester, the march goes on and on and athletic young people, mostly men, climb on every scaffold they see, waving flags. On the first march I went on I saw a young Palestinian man with a flag, arm and arm at the top of a scaffold with a Sephardic Jew.
Spider-Man for Palestine is always on the marches climbing everything he can see. It’s his schtick as the Star points out.
So why the instant reaction from political leaders in the city, province, and country? They are under pressure from the Jewish community for fear of a rise of antisemitism. There has been a rise of antisemitism at this time of the genocidal attack of Israel on Gaza. As one of the more public Jews in Canada, I have often experienced antisemitism at moments when Israel is in the news, but I have never experienced antisemitism in the Palestinian marches. In fact, this march as many others had a large contingent of Jews opposing Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
The reaction to Spider-Man for Palestine would be funny if it wasn’t for the increasing anti-democratic pressure against those who agree with South Africa that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.
The rise in antisemitism pales in comparison to the anti-Palestinian attacks we’ve seen since October 7. Yet political leaders don’t seem concerned that meetings on Palestinian issues have been cancelled for no good reason, that students who want to speak out for Palestine have been threatened with sanctions and a few people feel they lost jobs or engagements because of their views. Yet there is little concern for incidents of anti-Palestinian racism expressed by those in power.
When I saw the attacks against law students at Toronto Metropolitan University for writing a letter in support of Gaza, it reminded me of the attacks we faced at McGill in the 1960’s for opposing the war in Viet Nam. An entire generation rose up against the war in Viet Nam just as an entire generation around the world is rising up today in support of the Palestinians.
The police will no doubt use this incident to crack down ever harder on these extraordinary demonstrations. I have been an activist for more than 50 years and I have never seen a more persistent, passionate, diverse and caring mobilization of people than the pro-Palestinian marches. The Palestinian Youth Movement has impressed me with their organization and spirit.
Do I agree with every chant, every speech? Probably not but it’s a coalition. Back in the day we chanted, “Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Cong are going to win.” I’m sure it shocked some of the more moderate marchers but a march is a coalition. Frankly I don’t understand how anyone cannot support the people of Gaza at this moment.
As a Jew it worries me a lot that Zionists equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. I have been threatened by real anti-semitism. But creating panic over a false accusation of antisemitism does nothing to stop real antisemitism from taking root.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
