The Ben Mulroney Show - Ben discusses doing more to protect the Jewish community from attacks

Episode Date: December 19, 2024

Ben discusses doing more to protect the Jewish community from attacks Guest: Rich Robertson, B'nai Brith Canada's Director of Research and Advocacy If you enjoyed the podcast, tell a friend! For more of the Ben Mulroney Show, subscribe to the podcast! https://globalnews.ca/national/program/the-ben-mulroney-show Follow Ben on Twitter/X at https://x.com/BenMulroney Enjoy

A few months ago, I was reporting on a different show on the fact that the same Jewish girls school in Toronto had been shot up in just a matter of weeks, I believe. And I believed at the time that it was done, both times it was done where there was no one in the school. And I said the point was to strike fear. First of all, kids are supposed to feel safe at school, full stop. And the fact that they did that when nobody was there was to say, we can come back when your kids are there. We've done it once. We've done it twice. The next time, we may come back in the middle of the day.

And this is happening for a number of reasons, not the least of which is a feeling that the police are either paralyzed or don't have the tools that they need or are getting conflicting. Conflicting priorities are being handed down from people above their pay grade. And it's frustrating people and it's frustrating Jewish leaders and allies alike. And it's making us feel like we aren't safe in our own city. Well, this pattern is repeating. The pattern is repeating with Congregation Beth Tikva in Dolard de Zermont in Montreal was firebombed for the second time.

According to B'nai B'rith on Twitter, they said this repeated targeting of Jewish institutions is a direct result of a permissive environment where anti-Semitism is allowed to fester unchecked. Leaders and institutions must move beyond hollow words of condemnation. We call for the immediate implementation of our seven-point plan to combat anti-Semitism. And we will talk about that seven-point plan with Richard Robertson, B'nai Bredth Canada's Director for Research and Advocacy. Richard, I'm sorry to talk to you about such a subject, but I'm glad that hopefully we can move the ball forward on a really important thing that we need to talk about. Well, thank you so much, Ben, for having me on your show

and for your willingness to talk about such an important subject. So, first of all, the fact that this has happened twice, I don't know why the police haven't stepped up. After the first time, they should have stepped up patrols in the area. The fact it's happened a second time speaks to any number of issues. What's your take on it? Well, this was an act of terror, Ben. This was intended to threaten and intimidate the Jewish community.

And it's a miracle that nobody was hurt. And it's only thanks to the quick action of our first responders that we did not lose a cornerstone of Montreal's Jewish community. This is part of a larger issue. The systemic nature of what of what anti-Semitism has become in Canada. It's unacceptable and it must cease. Yeah, Richard, if I hear one more politician the day after something like this say, this is not who we are. Anti-Semitism has no place in Canada. I'm going to pull my hair out.

Those are as hollow words as I hear. They're the Canadian equivalent of thoughts and prayers following a school shooting. Meaningless by people who actually have power to do something. And this is why Ben, Ben A. Brith has created our seven point plan. We are providing tangible solutions that can be undertaken by both federal and

provincial, by both the federal government and provincial governments across the country to begin to address the scourge of antisemitism, which is having very real consequences on our streets. Well, we've got stronger enforcement of hate laws. How would you like to see them enforce more strongly? Well, we need to expand our definition of hate speech. We need to ensure that our definition of hate speech under the criminal code is capable of covering the rise in hate speech that we are seeing online. We need to ensure that the exemptions to our hate speech provisions in the criminal code

are not being used as a proverbial get-out-of-jail-free card for those who wish to espouse hate in this country. And we need to ensure that when hate speech is occurring, that charges are being laid, that it's being prosecuted, and that those who are found guilty are receiving sentences that provide the proper deterrence. Another one of the points, Richard, is amendments to the criminal code to close loopholes and hold perpetrators accountable.

What are some of these loopholes? Our criminal code just is not sufficient in its scope presently to handle all the forms of hate that we are seeing. The definition of anti-Semitic hate speech in the criminal code is too narrow. It only prevents against Holocaust denial and distortion. It is insufficient to tackle the anti-Semitism that we are seeing permeating across the country, and it needs to be expanded to be aligned with Canada's definition of anti-Semitism, the IRA definition of anti-Semitism. If we're out there looking to root out anti-Semitism,

you're going to find pockets of it in all sorts of places, but there seem to be these concentrations, like these nests of cancerous, vile anti-Semitism that are popping up in high concentration on our university campuses. How do we combat anti-Semitism in a place of higher education i these are the places where uh great ideas are supposed to collide these are places of in used to be places of enlightenment how did we get to where we are and how do we combat it well we have to change the

culture on our university campuses academic freedom and freedom of expression cannot be used as justifications for the spread of hate and division amongst university cohorts and amongst our greater Canadian society. I'm so sorry that this has happened yet again, but I keep saying this is who we are. We have allowed this to happen. We have allowed this to permeate, and this is, unfortunately, who we are as a nation, but we can change it, and I think the seven-point plan by B'nai B'rith is a great start. So I wish you a very happy Hanukkah and a happy holiday season.

Happy holidays, Ben, and thank you so much for having me.