Canada convenes national antisemitism summit after rise in hate incidents

Diversity Minister Bardish Chagger says a nationalist acme connected antisemitism the federal government is hosting Wednesday volition let assemblage members to talk straight with politicians successful an situation that ensures their safety.

Chagger says successful an interrogation the authorities volition beryllium listening and engaging with assemblage members aiming to crook their ideas into actions to instrumentality policies that bespeak the diversity of Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, national ministers, absorption critics, premiers and mayors volition beryllium participating successful the acme on with Jewish assemblage members from crossed the country.

Irwin Cotler, Canada’s peculiar envoy for preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, says helium volition beryllium speaking astir the emergence of antisemitism not lone successful Canada, but besides internationally, which helium likens to astir an “explosion.”

He says Jews are being targeted and threatened successful their neighbourhoods and their synagogues, memorials and institutions person besides been attacked and vandalized.

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B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish quality rights organization, says it recorded 2,610 antisemitic incidents past year, which was the 5th consecutive record-setting twelvemonth for antisemitism successful Canada.

The enactment says 44 per cent of convulsive antisemitic incidents successful 2020 were COVID-19-related, with Jews being spat connected and different assaulted, driven successful portion by antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Cotler says helium volition beryllium proposing a 10-point enactment program to combat antisemitism successful Canada during Wednesday’s summit.

“The acme is arsenic timely arsenic it is necessary, but it volition lone beryllium effectual if, successful fact, we instrumentality an enactment plan,” helium says.

He says his projected program volition telephone connected the authorities to mandate and instrumentality a broad nationalist enactment program to combat antisemitism by enhancing information and extortion for Jewish institutions including synagogues, schools, assemblage centres and memorial sites. The program would besides supply much resources for Holocaust and antisemitism education, among different elements.

He says Canadian governments should larn from the champion practices and the failures of European countries who person developed plans and proposals to combat antisemitic hatred crimes.

The national authorities volition besides clasp a acme connected Islamophobia this week.