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Harold Davis |
Frank Dimant |
Allan Adel |
Ruth Klein |
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Harold Davis |
Frank Dimant |
Allan Adel |
Ruth Klein |
It is paradoxical that historical opponents such as the far left wing and far right wing groups have at times found common ground in their attitudes towards the Jews, and have freely borrowed from one another's rhetoric and motifs. However, there are some important differences. The antisemitism of the far left frequently hides behind the mantra of anti-racism and also anti-globalization, as seen during the anti-Bush rally in Ottawa in December 2004, when the messaging and rhetoric erupted in several cases into anti-Jewish activity. The more "traditional" right wing brand of antisemitism is far more obvious about showing its true racist nature.
The vast majority of incidents recorded in this year's Audit were not carried out by organized groups, but rather by individuals. This finding parallels the US experience, as reported by the FBI in its 2003 study Hate Crimes Statistics. Officials involved in this field reportedly noted that in most of the cases, the perpetrators were not known members of racist movements and had no history of such activities.
However, organized activity warrants some careful examination. Much of the far right wing activity in Canada during 2004 was related to the re-appearance in this country of Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel. The ongoing hearings into the reasonableness of a security certificate that was issued against Zundel in 2003 continued throughout 2004. These proceedings became a rallying point for far right wing activities in Canada. Protests were held in a number of locations across Canada and the United States in support of Zundel and in an attempt to raise funds for his legal defence. For instance, there was a public protest in Toronto on March 9, 2004, which was followed by an international conference of Holocaust deniers and neo-Nazis convened in his honor the following month in Sacramento. This was attended by Canadian sympathizers.
In a decision handed down in March 2005, the certificate was upheld as reasonable and Zundel was deported to Germany, where he now is in prison facing charges under German hate crime legislation.
As previously noted, there is a continued presence on the web of sites promoting neo-Nazi philosophy, as well as the tenets of White Supremacy, many originating in Canada. Sites such as stormfront.org and its Canadian link appear to be widely used, providing a key vehicle for communication and recruitment.
In a number of incidents recorded in this year's Audit, activities have gone well beyond cyberspace. There were numerous reports of the distribution of racist flyers, which appeared to originate from far right wing groups in places as far apart as British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario. For example, in London, Ontario, flyers were found in a variety of locations, including national bookstores. In Toronto, flyers referring to "Jews bedding niggers" were mailed to private residences, as were copies of a far right wing publication.
On sites such as stormfront.org, far right agitators planned protest meetings, flyer distribution campaigns and rallies in support of Zundel, as well as commenting on general issues, often in the most racist of terms. In one such posting for example, in reply to a question asking what people want for Christmas, one person replied: "Death to every last Jews [sic]". Two years after the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) ruled that the zundelsite.org was unlawful, it continues to operate from the United States, and its message of hate reaches Canada unchecked and continues to influence far right wing discourse here. Such postings have also been the subject of police investigations and charges.
The swastika and other far right wing symbols including "SS", "ZOG", "White Power" and “Heil Hitler”, as well as more unusual references to particular Nazi SS troops, continue to dominate incidents of graffiti, as well as other hate-related messaging reported in this year's Audit. For example, of the 369 cases of vandalism reported Canada-wide, more than two-thirds or 218 involved swastikas. This is up significantly from the one-third figure reported last year.
Holocaust denial themes continue to feature in the incidents reported to the League. For example, Winnipeg residents were shocked to find flyers containing virulent Holocaust denial material plastered on the windshields of their cars as they left a high school debate. In a particularly disturbing incident, a Jewish group active on the campus of McMaster University in Hamilton received a poster by e-mail claiming that "Jesus and Hitler told the Truth about the Jews". This type of theme was evident in incidents directed at the media, businesses, organizations and politicians.
It should be noted that attempts to recruit high school students to the far right wing/White Supremacist cause have been recorded on a number of websites. In addition, there were two incidents reported of gang violence at schools in which groups referred to themselves in neo-Nazi terms. Clearly, youth in Canada are being exposed to the far right wing brand of hate.
There is concern that there may be a resurgence in far right wing or White Supremacist groups in Canada, which often see periods of decline followed by attempts to regroup. This makes the League’s past recommendations of a ban on racist groups and racist symbols all the more relevant. Racist organizations are not presently prohibited in Canada, putting Canada in violation of Article 4(b) of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that immigration provisions allowing deportation based on membership in a terrorist organization are constitutional. The implication of the judgment is that prohibiting racist groups would also be constitutional.
One source for a growing culture of hate, especially among youth, is "hate rock", which continues to manifest itself as a growing presence in Canada. There were several references to hate fest events in Canada on far right wing websites - most notably one in November 2004 in the Montreal area.
As noted in the 2003 Audit, the US-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of B'nai Brith has reported that antisemitic and racist rock music is a major recruiting tool and source of funding for hate groups. It is estimated that extremist groups sell millions of dollars of hate rock CD’s over the Internet, making such music readily available to Canadians as well.
An American organization, Turn it Down, lists a number of Canadian bands producing such songs. It notes:
“White power music has become the most significant recruiting tool for organized bigots across the globe. It has succeeded in infiltrating numerous youth subcultures, transforming healthy youth rebellion into hardcore white supremacy. The Turn It Down Campaign seeks not to demonize all youth culture, but to create a culture that is immune to the hatred and violence that white power music represents by teaming with young people, parents and teachers, and the record industry.”
In 2004, parents contacted the League to voice concern about the music their children were playing, and to seek guidance as to how to counter its pernicious influence.
Previous Audits have examined the presence of antisemitism amongst far left wing groups as well. Incidents in 2004 confirm this continuing trend. Antisemitic signs at anti-Iraq war protests in places such as Ottawa, Toronto, London, and Montreal were seen on the streets and at university campuses. In addition, flyers protesting the war in Iraq often repeat the canard of Jewish control of American foreign policy. Far left wing factions frequently joined forces with extremist anti-Israel groups whose activities have been implicated in creating a poisoned atmosphere for Jewish students on campus. For the most part over the course of 2004, the over-riding mantra of the far left has been to marginalize the experience of a Jewish community faced with an increasing amount of hate-related activity. Apart from instances when pro forma condemnations are issued in high profile cases, antisemitism simply does not reach the agenda of anti-racist groups in this country in any meaningful way. The implication is that this is not the "real" racism that should be taking up the time of the "true" adherents of the cause.
In 2004 there were new complaints regarding material posted to indymedia.org, a left-wing anti-globalization site that has been noted in previous Audits. This year’s complaint focused on the Vancouver based indymedia.org site. “Why they [JEWS] continue to murder” was the title of one posted piece. Comments following the article included derogatory references to Jews. A second complaint involved an article entitled “JEWISH LIES ABOUT AUSCHWITZ” and related postings regurgitating Holocaust denial.
While a coalition of the far left and far right on some common issues has been identified, a number of violent clashes between far left and far right wing factions also occurred in 2004. In one key example, fighting broke out at a pro-Zundel rally in Toronto. Police forces in a number of Canadian cities have expressed concern to the League about the growing propensity of far left wing groups to violence.
Both far right and far left wing groups hide behind the banner of freedom of expression as guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
During 2004 the limits of such freedoms - and the need to balance them against the rights of minorities in a free and democratic society - has framed the debate on campuses, in legal proceedings and at human rights commissions, in such a way that activities and statements likely to create a poisoned atmosphere are deemed acceptable. However, the intent of the Charter was to protect minorities, not to provide a justification for attacks on them.