Terry Newman: Israel-haters lose their minds as Montreal passes watered-down motion

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Shortly before 10 p.m., the council voted on the amended version of the motion, which passed 54-6. The pro-Palestinian protesters outside were not pleased. Upon exiting the building, myself and others, including council members, were subjected to harassment, despite the large police presence.

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The first thing I heard upon exiting city hall was the chant, “End the Zionist occupation.” Then, a stream of protesters, some wearing keffiyehs — the same garment Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, the terrorist murderer of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, wore, a fact most Canadians appear to have memory-holed — started screaming the phrase, “Shame on you!”

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One pushed my camera, which I was holding up in front of me for my protection, with her hand. Another, holding a flag, yelled at me several times, “Did you get your paycheque?” Walking away, we heard them shouting, “You can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.” They were still there, yelling, 20 minutes later when I was being driven home.

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It has become fashionable for activist groups and political parties to try to pressure local municipal councils to pass motions and create policies on matters outside of their jurisdiction, like international affairs. Montreal is no stranger to this.

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In 1987, then-mayor Jean Doré declared Montreal “apartheid-free,” and was able to get legislative powers allowing the city to discriminate against companies that had investments in South Africa when it practised apartheid.

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Apartheid South Africa and Israel are clearly different, but beyond that, the issues of foreign countries should not be the business of far-off city councils, precisely because they do not generally understand the details and nuances.

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If the original motion had passed, pressuring the city to cut ties with Israel despite the fact that Israel is not an apartheid state and has not been found guilty of genocide, who knows how this would have manifested in terms of policies and harassment towards Jewish businesses connected to Israel.

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Thankfully, the city council of Montreal overwhelmingly chose to vote for the peace and cohesion of its communities instead of a motion designed to misinform and drive a wedge between the city’s Jewish community and everyone else, which would, no doubt, be used to intimidate and harass them.

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National Post

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