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Articles
Anti-Hate sensitivity training being suggested for AzaniaPosted On 06/24/04
By: Lynne Cohen
B’nai Brith Canada has indicated to Jack Layton, federal leader of the NDP, that it is prepared to accept the apology of Malcolm Azania as sincere, but has urged Layton to set a high standard by requiring the candidate for the Edmonon-Strathcona to undertake anti-hate training.
This stance follows a private meeting held between B’nai Brith Canada and Malcolm Azania, to discuss remarks apparently made by him a decade earlier regarding Jews
“Mr. Azania was very apologetic,” said Shoshana Szlachter, Regional Director of B’nai Brith Canada’s Western Region following the meeting. “He denied knowing at the time that what he wrote was antisemitic, although we questioned him about how that was possible.”
The controversy erupted when it was discovered that Azania had referred to Jews as “white supremacists” on an Internet newsgroup in 1994. Though Jews are white, he wrote, “…they are low on the white social ladder…are well placed on the white media and academic ladders.” Azania also wrote that he thought that “many [Jews] use their exploitation/slaughter by other whites to make us believe that they understand us and sympathize with us better then do other whites.”
“Obviously the remarks suggesting a wide-scale white supremacist conspiracy were inappropriate, unacceptable, and even silly,” said Allan Adel, newly appointed National Chair of the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada. “Furthermore, Mr. Azania’s references to Jews cannot be characterized as having been anything but antisemitic. On the other hand, he did do more than apologize — he completely recanted, claiming to have been a different person ten years ago.
“A total of 10 people attended the meeting at Azania’s campaign headquarters,” said Szlachter, including Edmonton lawyer Billy Horwitz, and Paula Kirman, a former University of Alberta student who worked on the student newspaper Gateway when Azania was editor.
“In addition to the remarks on the newsgroup, we also talked about an antisemitic cartoon he published 11 years ago while he was editor of Gateway,” Szlachter said. She was referring to a drawing published in January of 1993 that depicted an Israeli solider with a big hooked-nose pointing a gun at Mary, who was holding the baby Jesus. At the time, Azania refused to apologize. He, however, did relent a year later, but only after a complaint was filed with the Alberta Human Rights Commission.
In its correspondence with Jack Layton following the meeting, Harold Davis, president of B’nai Brith Canada, acknowledged the sincerity of Azania’s apology and the apparent evolution of his sensitivity to the topic of antisemitism. However, Davis was still concerned that it took so many years to recant the words, and that current statements being attributed to Azania still left areas of concerns about his views towards Jews.
“B’nai Brith Canada has therefore offered to provide anti-hate training through its League for Human Rights’ Taking Action Against Hate Program,” Davis said. “Our political leaders must set the highest standards for civil discourse, and they must set that example by action as well as words.” Sticks and stones will hurt you — but so will words it seems.
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