CIJA Reacts to Erasive Antisemitism of Pride Toronto Ceasefire Statement
Toronto, ON – March 31, 2024 – Last week, Pride Toronto released a statement on “the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
In response, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs issued the following statement:
“We are profoundly hurt by this statement from Pride Toronto.
“It mentions neither the October 7 attacks – which included the execution of young people dancing at a rave, rapes of women and men, the annihilation of entire families, the killing of babies, the burning alive of innocent families – nor even the name Hamas.
“It is Hamas’ ideology that is fundamentally opposed to queer rights. In fact, members and allies of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community have long been persecuted by Hamas, and indeed throughout Palestinian territories not controlled by the terror group.
“Far from Pride Toronto’s self-proclaimed inclusion beliefs, it is a signal of exclusion towards a community — the Jewish community — which has long been active in 2SLGBTQIA+ circles and at the forefront of the fight for queer rights.
“The message that Pride Toronto is sending is “Jews don’t matter.”
“In fact, Pride never makes similar statements about any situation that doesn’t explicitly involve the 2SLGBTQIA+ community — except on this issue. What does that say about an inherent bias against Jews?
“Canada’s Jewish community, both queer and allies, will continue fighting against all forms of discrimination, including this erasive antisemitism displayed by Pride Toronto.”
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