For the first time, the Canadian government has explicitly defined anti-Zionism as a form of antisemitism. This is an appalling capitulation to pro-Israel actors like CIJA and anti-Palestinian racism.
Zionism forms the ideological backbone of Israel's state-sanctioned violence against Palestinians. Our government quietly redefining it as a form of bigoted hate against Jews as a group is both offensive and inaccurate, and it endangers all Canadians' right to freedom of expression.
We call for an immediate retraction, acknowledgement of the incredible harm this mischaracterization does to Palestinian and Jewish communities, and a recognition of anti-Zionism as a legitimate political viewpoint grounded in social justice.