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Canada Links Anti-Zionism to Antisemitism · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
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  Speaker 1: tracking critical developments in how antisemitism is being defined and
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  Speaker 1: addressed globally, from government policy to campus incidents. We're also
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  Speaker 1: launching Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, offering focused coverage from New York,
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  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region. Find out more
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  Speaker 1: at clockworkmedia.org slash ma. We begin today with significant news
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  Speaker 1: from Canada. where the federal government has released its first
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  Speaker 1: progress report on combating antisemitism. As detailed in reporting by
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  Speaker 1: the National Post and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs,
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  Speaker 1: the report explicitly states that antisemitism, which includes anti-Zionism, is
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  Speaker 1: not always obvious. Public Safety Canada and Justice Minister Sean
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  Speaker 1: Fraser are cited as releasing this document. The report frames
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  Speaker 1: anti-Zionism as a contemporary manifestation of antisemitism. aligning with concerns
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  Speaker 1: that it demonizes, delegitimizes, and applies double standards to Israel.
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  Speaker 1: Hadassah Goldberg, co-chair of the Clarity Coalition's Canadian committee, is
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  Speaker 1: quoted telling the National Post that anti-Zionism is the current
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  Speaker 1: iteration of anti-Semitism or Jew-hatred. In New York City, Mayor
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  Speaker 1: Zoran Mamdani is facing sharp criticism over a statement he
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  Speaker 1: posted on October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre.
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  Speaker 1: An analysis published by jpost.com argues that Mamdani's statement, which
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  Speaker 1: focused heavily on indicting Israel for ongoing genocide in Gaza,
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  Speaker 1: occupation and apartheid, and war crimes, while naming Hamas only
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  Speaker 1: once and downplaying atrocities, undid his prior commitments to combat antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: The jpost.com article details how Mamdani's statement failed to mention
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  Speaker 1: specifics like sexual violence at the Nova Music Festival or
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  Speaker 1: the abduction of children. dedicating roughly 140 words to indicting
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  Speaker 1: Israel and only about 50 to October 7th. The analysis
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  Speaker 1: concludes that this rhetoric employs double standards and demonization against Israel,
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  Speaker 1: meeting IHRA criteria, and echoes what antisemites use when posing
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  Speaker 1: as mourners on the date. On campus, Columbia University has
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  Speaker 1: issued an apology after a menu item labeled October 7th
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  Speaker 1: blush sauce appeared on a campus dining menu. The incident,
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  Speaker 1: which occurred on the third anniversary of the Hamas attacks,
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  Speaker 1: drew widespread criticism on social media, with many interpreting the
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  Speaker 1: wording as an offensive reference. Vicky Dunn, assistant vice president
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  Speaker 1: of Columbia Dining, told Fox News Digital that the date
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  Speaker 1: had mistakenly remained in a menu template due to an
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  Speaker 1: accidental formatting error and was unrelated to the anniversary. Columbia
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  Speaker 1: stated that staff removed the signs as soon as the
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  Speaker 1: mistake was identified and will implement additional review procedures. This
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  Speaker 1: controversy arises against a backdrop of repeated anti-Semitic incidents at
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  Speaker 1: Columbia University since October 7, 2023, including flyers depicting swastikas,
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  Speaker 1: an anti-Israel encampment with threatening rhetoric, and a Jewish student
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  Speaker 1: being punched. This reporting comes from IsraelNationalNews.com. In the United Kingdom,
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  Speaker 1: the Green Party is experiencing a significant decline in support,
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  Speaker 1: currently polling at 9%, its lowest since leader Zach Polanski
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  Speaker 1: took office, according to The Observer. The Observer and the Telegraph.co.uk
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  Speaker 1: attribute this drop, particularly among young voters, to accusations of
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism and a controversial party conference resolution declaring Zionism is racism.
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  Speaker 1: The motion passed with over 1,000 votes in favour. While
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  Speaker 1: Polanski has since stated he would have voted against it,
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  Speaker 1: his delayed clarification and absence during the debate have drawn criticism.
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  Speaker 1: The Observer reports that 42% of the electorate believe the
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  Speaker 1: Greens have an antisemitism problem and that thousands of members
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  Speaker 1: may have quit in protest. Green MP Ellie Chowns and
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  Speaker 1: former leader Caroline Lucas are quoted discussing the need to
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  Speaker 1: review internal rules to prevent such resolutions from passing and
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  Speaker 1: to address governance structures. The Telegraph.co.uk also notes this contrasts
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  Speaker 1: with past political consequences for similar issues in the Labour
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  Speaker 1: Party under Jeremy Corbyn. Turning to institutional responses and legal challenges,
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  Speaker 1: a former University of Arkansas professor, Shirin Seidi, has filed
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  Speaker 1: a federal lawsuit challenging Arkansas Act 721. As reported by WorldIsraelNews.com, Seidi,
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  Speaker 1: who was dismissed for social media posts praising Iran's supreme
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  Speaker 1: leader and calling for Israel's destruction, is seeking reinstatement and
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  Speaker 1: the repeal of the state law. Act 721 requires public
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  Speaker 1: colleges to combat antisemitism by incorporating the International Holocaust Remembrance
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  Speaker 1: Alliance's IHRA definition. Siadi's attorneys argue the law violates constitutional
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  Speaker 1: free speech protections, claiming it imposes restrictions on political criticism
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  Speaker 1: of Israel despite the law's stated protections for criticism comparable
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  Speaker 1: to other countries. The lawsuit alleges the law is unconstitutionally vague.
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  Speaker 1: We also have an incident involving the refusal of care.
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  Speaker 1: Buki Kalasiner shared an account of a Toms River crash
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  Speaker 1: victim who repeatedly refused care from Orthodox Jewish emergency responders,
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  Speaker 1: including Hatzalah volunteers, 911 responders, Hasidic paramedics, and an Orthodox
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  Speaker 1: hospital nurse. This demonstrates a direct refusal of assistance based
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  Speaker 1: on the religious identity of the caregivers. In political discourse,
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  Speaker 1: Georgia's closely watched Senate race debate featured Democratic Senator John
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  Speaker 1: Ossoff and Republican challenger Rep. Mike Collins clashing over Israel's
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  Speaker 1: conduct in Gaza and US policy. According to reporting by WorldIsraelNews.com,
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  Speaker 1: which cites a JTA report, Ossoff stated that Israeli forces
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  Speaker 1: prosecuting the war in Gaza violated international humanitarian law. Collins,
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  Speaker 1: in turn, accused Ossoff of aligning himself with anti-Israel figures.
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  Speaker 1: The debate also touched on US weapons sales to Israel
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  Speaker 1: and the war in Iran. Internationally, Israel's Ministry of Diaspora
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  Speaker 1: Affairs recommended barring German journalist Serena Bailanseri from entering the country. JFeed.com
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  Speaker 1: reports that the ministry cited her 2025 opinion pieces calling
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  Speaker 1: for economic and military sanctions against Israel and labeling it
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  Speaker 1: an apartheid state. The Population and Immigration Authority accepted the recommendation,
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  Speaker 1: preventing her appointment as Israel correspondent for the German newspaper Taz.
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  Speaker 1: Ministry Director General Avi Cohen Scully stated that, anti-Israel elements
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  Speaker 1: and those who slander Israel should not set foot in it.
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  Speaker 1: In New York, a law criminalizing the placement of swastikas
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  Speaker 1: on property as aggravated harassment is raising First Amendment concerns.
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  Speaker 1: An opinion piece highlighted by Yahoo.com, referencing Reason magazine, argues
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  Speaker 1: that the law requires prosecutors to make subjective intent determinations,
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  Speaker 1: effectively turning law enforcement into speech police. The piece notes
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  Speaker 1: that while condemning swastikas is rightful, the state should prosecute
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  Speaker 1: illegal actions rather than motivating ideologies, citing legal precedents on
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  Speaker 1: free speech regarding symbols and content. Finally, Israeli politician Moshe Feiglin,
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  Speaker 1: chairman of the Zehut party, called out Tucker Carlson for
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  Speaker 1: lecturing Israel on morality, noting that historical actions by the
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  Speaker 1: US and Britain to defeat Nazi Germany and imperial Japan
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  Speaker 1: involved flattening entire cities. This commentary was reported by worldisraelnews.com.
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  Speaker 1: That's our report for today. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York,
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  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch,
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  Speaker 1: midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org slash ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your
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  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. This
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  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.