Racism, Palestine and the IHRA: Letter to Barrie City Council
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- Published on Monday, 17 August 2020 03:12
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2171 ... August 17, 2020
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Racism, Palestine and the IHRA: Letter to Barrie City Council
Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV) applauds Barrie, Ontario, Mayor Jeff Lehman for withdrawing a motion to adopt the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism on August 10, 2020.
Motion 8.2, Adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Definition of Antisemitism was due to be voted on by Barrie City Council on Monday evening. However, he withdrew it Monday afternoon on account of uproar by concerned Canadians, including many Barrie residents.
Barrie now joins several major Canadian cities which have considered adopting the IHRA definition, but have either had the motions withdrawn or defeated, including Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. IJV rallied significant grassroots opposition in all four of these cities. Well over 100 IJV members and supporters sent letters to Barrie city councillors urging them to vote against this particular motion.
"This is another major victory for all who oppose antisemitism and support Palestinian human rights," said Corey Balsam, IJV’s National Coordinator. "We strongly believe that our safety as... Jews is intimately tied with the safety and well-being of other communities targeted by hate and bigotry, and that includes the Palestinian people. We congratulate the City of Barrie for its decision to abandon the IHRA’s problematic definition and strongly encourage other cities and provinces in Canada to follow suit."
