Out of the Woodworks and Into Parliament Hill

"Parliament stand [sic] in solidarity with Palestine and call [sic] on the Government of Canada to support the Palestinian people."

"The speakers at the ceremony, including deputies and representatives of associations and civil organizations, affirmed their solidarity with Palestine and their condemnation of the killings that Palestinians are subjected to at the hands of the occupation forces and settlers."

"Member of Parliament Niki Ashton said that Canada can play a better role for peace in the Middle
East and is keen on human rights in the world, especially for the Palestinians."

Arabic-language piece, Meshwar Media website

Nazih Khatatba posted this photo on his Facebook page of MPs at an International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People event on Parliament Hill. From left to right: Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi, NDP MP Niki Ashton, Bloc Québécois MP Mario Beaulieu, Liberal MP Salma Zahid, NDP MP Blake Desjarlais, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, NDP MP Matthew Green, Bloc Québécois MP Denis Trudel, NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen. (Nazih Khatatba/Facebook)

 

This was a description published of an event held on November 30 called International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, hosted by Canadian Member of Parliament Selma Zahid, chair of the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group. Present at the meeting was the author and publisher of that write-up, Nazih Khatatba, an invited guest whose newspaper, al-Meshwar claims the Holocaust was a Jewish plot, referring to it as a "holohoax".

"In following up with the Minister's office, they had determined based on the antisemitism they saw in the newspaper, that asking for the money to be returned was warranted, and that happened."

"I'm very disappointed to see that he was here [on Parliament Hill] -- there were members of Parliament there from all parties and I can only hope none of my colleagues there knew who he was and what he stood for."

Liberal Member of Parliament Anthony Housefather

"[Invitations to the reception were] circulated widely [and it was attended by about 150 people]."

"We are not able to research the history of every attendee that responded."

"As chair of the group, I will continue to be a voice for the human rights of the Palestinian people and for a just and fair two-state solution achieved at the negotiating table."

Toronto-area Liberal MP Salma Zahid

"This event was a parliamentary friendship group event that included MPs and members of the Palestinian community from across the country."

"What this individual said is offensive and antisemitic and must be condemned. Minister Alghabra had no contact with this person or even knew that this person was present at this event."

Spokesperson for Transport Minister Omar Alghabra

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra defends attending an event at Parliament in an exchange with Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman.

 

No sooner did the dust settle over an earlier Liberal scandal when a self-described 'anti-racism' trainer -- Laith Marouf -- with a laser-focus on Jews, as a seasoned Palestinian Jew-baiter-and-hater who spewed constant antisemitic sentiments on social media and presented himself as a specialist on racial relations -- hired on contract with the government to conduct anti-racism workshops where he would proceed to lecture on the plight of the Palestinians under the Zionist boot of the Israeli 'occupation'. His reputation as an antisemite was well established, yet two government departments saw fit to accept  his self-styled credentials as an expert on race relations.

Anyone, at any time could have looked online to see any number of the hateful statements he was addicted to, such as this one: “You know all those loud mouthed bags of human feces, aka the Jewish White Supremacists; when we liberate Palestine and they have to go back to where they came from, they will return to being low voiced bitches of thier [sic] Christian/Secular White Supremacist Masters,” he tweeted on Aug. 10. Now that that is old history up crops another.

Where a federal Liberal cabinet minister, the leader of the Green party and Members of Parliament from other parties were in attendance at the Solidarity with Palestinian People event, organized by elected Muslim MPs in company with sordid antisemites and Holocaust deniers. The unabashed presence of a denialist racist-monger this week on Parliament Hill who publishes articles and opinion pieces celebratory of Jewish deaths at the hands of terrorists highlights the depths to which some elected officials sink.

 

Meshwar Media through its editor-publisher was congratulatory over the Jerusalem bombing attack where a 15-year-old Canadian-Israel student was killed. The al-Meshwar newspaper published an article in 2017 claiming the Holocaust to be a Jewish plot, and that banks associated with the "Zionist movement" funded the rise to power in the 1930s of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. In an interview that same year on a television program Nazih Khatatba instruced Canadians "not believe the fairy tales claiming Jews have suffered oppression".

 

A Jerusalem synagogue massacre was described by Khatatba in an al-Meshwar editorial as "courageous and qualitative", where among other Jews at prayer who were slaughtered, was a Canadian Jew. The NDP's Niki Ashton, present at the event, had this man's endorsement during her bid for her party's leadership. A fundraiser hosted by the Palestine Aid Society saw Ashton and Khatatba in a unity of sentiments and was featured on Khatatba's newspaper's front page, during Ashton's leadership bid. Now she disavows support of his views nor does she "accept support from people who hold such views".

Meshwar Media had been requested to return a government grant that had been issued during the pandemic, in view of its antisemitic content. After which Meshwar Media's Facebook page angrily denounced the Heritage Minister who had also been involved in the Laith Marouf antisemitic affair. In Arabic in response to the demand of funding to be returned, he wrote they "refuse to apologize" much less stop publishing "articles criticizing Israel that they consider antisemitic".

Predictably, all of those in the public eye and in government now assert that had they known that this notorious antisemite would be present at the affair, they would never themselves have attended. None of them had any idea -- including the event organizer -- that he would be present, nor were they aware of his scorching racist views. Including those who consorted with him outside of the current affair. In the current public and social aura of rampant antisemitism emanating from all quarters; the political arena to the entertainment field, celebrities and social media, Jew-hate is becoming institutionalized.

 

Melissa Lantsman

@MelissaLantsman

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The Laith Marouf scandal has shown us that antisemitism is completely normalized & continues with impunity. Empty words from the Liberal government while funding this racist publication with tax dollars and then rolling out the red carpet for them on Parliament Hill. #cdnpoli

Documenting Antisemitism

@AntisemitismCA

Two days ago, Canadian Members of Parliament, including Federal cabinet minister @OmarAlghabra and Green Party Leader @ElizabethMay, met with and hosted a dangerous antisemite and Holocaust denier. #CdnPoli #Antisemitism 1/8

10:13 AM · Dec 1, 2022

"Each and every parliamentarian, regardless of their particular perspective on the Middle East, owes a duty to Canadians not to be seen as condoning antisemitism or any other form of racism through their public association with a discredited and hateful news source."

"Zahid owes it to the public to better explain through what channels Khatatba gained access to the event on Parliament Hill. Zahid must commit her Friendship Group to end all association with those who distort the Holocaust and pursue antisemitic agendas. If Zahid is unable to do the bare minimum and disavow Holocaust-distorting media attending her Friendship Group events, we consider her unqualified to serve as Chair."

B/nai Brith CEO Michael Mostyn

NDP MP Niki Ashton (left) came under fire in 2017 after she was photographed at one of her fundraising events with Nazih Khatatba (right). (Facebook/B'nai Brith)