Freedom of speech and the left

Pro-Hamas supporters surrounding Jewish hospital a hate crime

https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-pro-hamas-supporters-surrounding-jewish-hospital-a-hate-crime/wcm/d8bde760-6f03-4e73-9106-667b06e4b5e6/amp/

When you have a female Jewish doctor’s car surrounded by Pro-Hamas protesters shouting “intifada,” while blocking people at an iconic hospital with Jewish roots, it’s no longer a protest but a hate crime.

The prime minister, premier, police and medical community agree.

“Interfering with the operations of a hospital is not acceptable,” said Toronto Police, adding officers are “investigating several incidents that occurred in front of Mount Sinai Hospital.”

Urging “decency,” Premier Doug Ford called out masked, Pro-Hamas protesters who pushed things too far Monday night in front of the “sacred” Jewish-inspired hospital. One demonstrator even scaled the front of Mount Sinai and got up on the University Ave. hospital’s awning.

Dr. David Jacobs posted to X about a female doctor of Jewish faith seeing her car “swarmed” with people “banging on it.” But with only two police officers present, they got away.

“I think it’s absolutely terrible,” said the premier. “Folks, get some decency. Have common sense. These hospitals are there to save lives. Mount Sinai did everything they could to save my brother’s life – he was in there.

“They are an incredible hospital – along with all the hospitals across the province,” he added. “They are there to help people … do not break the law. Because that is exactly what happened, you broke the law.”

Videos certainly support Ford’s contention.

As we have said before, officers use their discretion during large crowd demonstrations and even if arrests are not deemed safe to make at the time, investigations will continue and charges can be laid at a later date,” said Toronto Police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer.

“TPS will be providing an increased police presence along hospital row to ensure that essential hospital services and emergency routes remain accessible” and they are “appealing to anyone who witnessed the events (Monday) evening or who experienced harassment to contact police.”

There was also a counterprotest by an emergency room physician, Dr. Raghu Venugopal, who first posted to X that he was coming to the demonstration and later put up a video explaining such behaviour was inappropriate on such “hallowed” ground.

Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada noted “the hospital was founded during a dark period in Canadian history when Jewish doctors were excluded from working at other hospitals.” He said this was “a new low for anti-Israel protesters in Canada,” and added the “sanctity of the patients, their loved ones, and those vested with the responsibility of tending to the sick, was violated.”

Mayor Olivia Chow, who has undergone cancer treatment at Mount Sinai, took to social media to say there’s no place in Toronto for such hate.

In April 2005, Chow, then a Toronto councillor, told the CBC that she underwent surgery the previous year for thyroid cancer. Surgeons removed her thyroid gland, and she later received radioactive iodine treatment to deal with any lingering cancer cells.

“My family has a long history with Mount Sinai. My father passed there, both my late husband (former federal NDP leader Jack Layton) and I had cancer treatments there,” the municipal leader posted to X. “(Monday’s) actions at Mount Sinai Hospital, a hospital founded by Toronto’s Jewish community, were unacceptable. Targeting Jewish institutions is anti-Semitic and hate has no place in our city.”

Councillor Brad Bradford called it “full blown anti-Semitism” and urged Chow to “end this anti-Semitism intimidation.”

Referencing a federal government law against protesting at hospitals, Ford implored people to stop.

“I don’t care what you are protesting,” said the premier. “You want to protest, go to City Hall, come down to Queen’s Park, jump up and down, do whatever you want.”

I asked a second question about the blatant anti-Semitism of this action, and what happened earlier in the evening when Aroma Cafe was vandalized once again?

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Islamophobia, (or) anti-Semitism, folks we have 120 nationalities here in Ontario, 200 languages are spoken,” said Ford. “We pride ourselves around the world for everyone to come here and get along and live side by side, work side by side.

“We need to live peacefully together. That’s my message to the people of Ontario: … We live in a peaceful society. I am asking everyone, ‘Please get along. Let’s work together. Get along.’”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed in an X post Tuesday.

“The demonstration at Mount Sinai Hospital yesterday was reprehensible. Hospitals are places for treatment and care, not protests and intimidation,” said Trudeau. “I strongly condemn this display of anti-Semitism. In Toronto and across Canada, we stand with Jewish communities against this hate.”

Many other leaders commented.

“An Embassy? Nope. A Consulate? Nope. A government office? Nope,” Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, the MP for Thornhill, posted on X. “The mob chose patients, their families, nurses, doctors and all those helping to save lives inside of a hospital. They chose Jews, because it’s Mount Sinai Hospital. So gross.”

The outrage crossed party lines.

“Targeting Mount Sinai Hospital to incite intifada against Israel and the Jewish people is flagrantly anti-Semitic and undermines the health and safety of the patients and medical professionals,” Liberal MP Marco Mendicino, who respresents Eglinton-Lawrence, posted on X. “The torrent of hatred against Jews and Jewish institutions must stop!”

Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy on stamping out anti-Semitism and Holocaust denialism, wrote on X that she planned to call “Toronto’s mayor and chief of police today to discuss how they will put a stop to this despicable targeting and attempted intimidation of Mount Sinai Hospital and Jews across Toronto and Canada.”

Independent MP Kevin Vuong demanded to know “what action, steps” Chow was gong to take to protect health-care workers, patients and members of the Jewish community.

“Has she done the absolute bare minimum of ensuring @TorontoPolice’s clear on their responsibility to protect hospitals & health-care workers per Bill C3?” he posted to X.

Based on what has happened since Hamas’ Oct. 7 slaughter of innocent Israeli’s, when it comes to anti-Semitism in Toronto, it will likely happen again.

What about CTV News? Should we ignore the facts here too?

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Mount Sinai hospital leaders sign letter denouncing Mount Sinai demonstrations in Toronto

CTV News

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/15-hospital-leaders-sign-letter-denouncing-mo...

More than a dozen hospital leaders have signed a letter denouncing demonstrations and trespassing on hospital property at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital Monday night.
The letter was sent to hospital staff by the Toronto Academic Health Science Network on Feb. 13. It was signed by 15 hospital presidents and Chief Executive Officers.

Sinai Health’s Garry Newton, University Health Network’s Kevin Smith, Unity Health Toronto’s Tim Rutledge, Sunnybrook’s Andy Smith, Hospital for Sick Children's Ronald Cohn, and ten others signed the internal note.

In it, the leaders said they were disturbed by the events, which included participants climbing on hospital scaffolding during a demonstration on University Avenue, and are working with local law enforcement and security teams to keep their spaces safe.

The Toronto police confirmed on Tuesday that an investigation is underway and an increased police presence will be visible on hospital row. The protest outside Mount Sinai was the latest in a series of demonstrations related to the Israel-Hamas war.

“This protest ran the real risk of disrupting hospital operations and compromising the safety of staff, physicians, learners, patients and visitors – all totally unacceptable,” the letter stated.

A still image taken from a video circulating on social media that appears to show a participants climbing hospital scaffolding at Mount Sinai Hospital on Feb. 14, 2024.The message went on to assert the Toronto hospitals' dedication to accessible and safe care for everyone regardless of religious faith, race, gender or sexual orientation.

“As leaders we will not tolerate hatred in any form to permeate our hospitals,” the letter states. “We unequivocally denounce this display of antisemitism and all forms of racism.”

Joining the Prime Minister and Ontario Premier in commenting on the incident, four-time Olympic gold medallist Hayley Wickenheiser called Sinai a “special place” where she worked and trained as a physician, in a statement late Tuesday night.

“The images of last night were terrible to see. Walk into the ED any time and you will bear witness to staff of every race, religion and walk of life providing world class care to the same,” Wickenheiser wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

josh wrote:

The lying right-wing Toronto Sun?  I'll take the observations of Judy Rebick.  You're known by the company you keep.

All major news sources are reporting this. All major politicians are in agreement too. The nurses and doctors are saying this too.

Josh, I’ll take the word of the nurses and doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital over what you’re saying concerning their hospital. Josh, maybe you should take into consideration what the nurses and doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital are saying?

This protest route went from the Israeli embassy to the US consulate. It did not go to Mount Sinai Hospital to protest it went by Mount Sinai during a protest march. According to Zionist genocide apologists walking by a hospital and calling for the end to the murder of children is antisemitic and frightening for all people of Jewish descent.

This is what foreign interference in the affairs of Canada looks like.

kropotkin1951 wrote:

So Jewish people in Canada should never have to hear people shouting about the Israeli governmetn because it might melt them, being snow flakes and all. Zionists like JKR think the rest of us should not have the right to protest because it will hurt his fragile feelings.

I thought it was only right wingers that call people snowflakes?

Kropotkin, you may call me and others "snowflakes" but I agree with the nurses and doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital and feel they are in a position to fairly judge what happened. Kropotkin, is it possible for you to make a case without engaging in ad hominim attacks?

JKR wrote:

Kropotkin, you may call me and others "snowflakes" but I agree with the nurses and doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital and feel they are in a position to fairly judge what happened. Kropotkin, is it possible for you to make a case without engaging in ad hominim attacks?

I did not call you a snowflake I called the people you were referring to snowflakes.

Here is a good idea. why don't you list all the pro-Palestinian marches in Canada in this century that have resulted in any personal injuries to a Jewish person.

The comments by Jewish supremacists are the same as those of white supremacists when they encounter a BLM protest.

Not all the nurses and doctors only the snowflakes are snowflakes.

kropotkin1951 wrote:

Not all the nurses and doctors only the snowflakes are snowflakes.

How many of the nurses and doctors are “snowflakes”?

JKR wrote:

I never said anything about the nurses or doctors being Jewish or not Jewish.

It's no use to try and correct the record here.

I noticed this behaviour of putting words into peoples mouths was common on the forum. I used to think this was on purpose but now I think it's peoples brains sub-consciously making up want they want to hear. And when you hold someone to the erroneous statement it simply becomes "Well that's what you were really thinking/really meant". How can you disagree with someone who can read your thoughts?

So Jewish people in Canada should never have to hear people shouting about the Israeli government because it might melt them, being snow flakes and all.

I think JKR that you are a pot calling the kettle black. This is my post using the term snowflake. I did not say anything about nurses and doctors because they were not the snowflakes complaining. However after a couple of posts you changed what I said into an attack on nurses and doctors. "It shouldn’t be so difficult to just stick to the facts and not put words in other peoples mouths and not attack them personally."

You guys remind me of MAGA people who believe that BLM protestors all want to murder white people in their beds. I think that Zionists have perfected the victim game and that fits perfectly with being a snowflake.

According to fascist Zionist logic a white person surrounded by black people has a right to feel frightened and that means that protesting near them should be enough to have those black people arrested as terrorists.

JKR wrote:

Most Israelis are of Arab descent.

About 20% of Israel's population identify as Arabs, mostly Muslim with a Christian minority. Of the Jewish population, about 70% have one or both parents of Mizrahi (Middle East/North African) background, and are sometimes called “Arab Jews” by people who don't know better.

JKR wrote:

Kropotkin1951, do you think Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Arabs should both have the right of self determination?

I think that like Canada all citizens of a single state should have the right to self determine who they are and to have that recognized by the proper state authorities. Canadian identity for me is partly our indigenous communities, partly the Chinese Canadian community in BC and partly the Afro Caribbean Canadian community in Toronto and partly the European Christian Canadian community etc.

The equivalent in Canadian law to Israel's Basic Law would be if our Charter said that the state must be defined by Euro-Christian values and only those values could be reflected in the state apparatus, symbols and most importantly, aspirations.

Kropotkin 1951 wrote:

I think that like Canada all citizens of a single state should have the right to self determine who they are and to have that recognized by the proper state authorities. Canadian identity for me is partly our indigenous communities, partly the Chinese Canadian community in BC and partly the Afro Caribbean Canadian community in Toronto and partly the European Christian Canadian community etc.

End quote.

————

Luckily in Canada provinces are able to separate from the country as Quebec has nearly done if they choose to. First Nation Bands should also be allowed to separate from Canada if they choose to. All minority groups should be able to exercise their right of self determination if they want to. Minorities shouldn’t be forced by the majority to be part of a political system they don’t want to be a part of.

JKR wrote:

Israelis are free to practice any religion they want or to be atheists if they want. Arabic is an official language of Israel as is Hebrew and English. Israel is the most secular state in the Middle East.

Wow you actually believe the bullshit you spew. Israelis are free to go to mosques that are surrounded by IDF forces and armed settlers. Why is it you feel confident in dismissing Turkey and Syria and Iraq and Libya prior to our destruction of their society. Those were secular states not Moslem supremacist states like Iran or Jewish supremacist like Israel.

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to restrict Palestinian citizens of Israel accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, Channel 13 reported yesterday.

The decision was reportedly made following pressure from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and against the advice of security agencies who said this could cause the situation on the ground “to explode”.

Israel has already limited Muslim access to the holy site for prayers, in particular on Fridays, since 7 October. It now looks set to limit numbers during Ramadan.

Israel increases its attacks on Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, raiding the Muslim holy site as Muslims take part in night prayers.

While far right settler groups have previously called for incursions into Al-Aqsa ahead of Jewish holidays, including Passover which is due to be held at the end of April."

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240219-netanyahu-to-restrict-entry-o...

kropotkin1951

Why is it you feel confident in dismissing Turkey and Syria and Iraq and Libya prior to our destruction of their society.

End Quote.

————

The present is what counts. Turkey and Syria and Iraq and Libya all favour Islam. Jews are treated as second class citizens in those countries and are persecuted in those countries.

Elise Gravel - Portfolio 

The present is what counts. Israel  favours Judaism. Moslem's are treated as second class citizens and are persecuted. Not only are their mosques desecrated like synagogues in many place in the world the IDF from the Jewish state goes into the holiest places and kills worshipers.

Indeed they do as does Israel. The problem with your view point is that you cannot or will not differentiate between self defense and genocide. I am just daily astounded that someone who seems so reasonable on other issues can be so willfully blind. Here is a good video mix. I love how numuves uses click bait to attract views.

American goes to Xinjiang; sees Uyghur genocide!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqpUJyWt8oo&t=400s

kropotkin1951 wrote:

The problem with your view point is that you cannot or will not differentiate between self defense and genocide.

Hamas wants to kill jews and eliminate Israel.
Hamas is in power in Gaza and Gaza is right next to the border of Israel.
Hamas has fired around 12,000 rockets into Israel in the last 4 months. 3 rockets per hour since October 7th.

How would you propose Israel defend itself against Hamas attacks?

Healthcare workers slam their CEOs for slandering pro-Palestinian protesters

After 15 hospital CEOs in Toronto mischaracterized a peaceful pro-Palestinian rally as antisemitic, many of their employees have joined thousands of voices demanding an apology and retraction of their “fabrications.”​

Toronto healthcare workers are pushing back against their employers, demanding an apology and a retraction for what they say are “false accusations of antisemitism over the fabricated Mount Sinai story.”

“The statement that you signed after the emergency 'Hands Off Rafah' demonstration on Monday, February 12, 2024, was based on fabricated information which has caused significant damage by reinforcing racist stereotypes of Palestinians, slandering protestors (sic) as antisemitic and unnecessarily instilling fear in the public,” reads a letter signed by the Health Workers Alliance for Palestine (HAP) and other pro-Palestinian groups, including Jews Say No To Genocide.

The letter was sent Tuesday, Feb. 20, to the 15 CEOs who accused protesters at that rally of antisemitism for momentarily stopping near — and some of them climbing atop — an entrance to Mount Sinai Hospital, an institution which has Jewish roots but treats anyone. 

“It’s absolutely disgusting and shameful that the hospitals’ CEOs say absolutely nothing about [Israel’s] targeting of healthcare workers, or the targeting of [25] hospitals in Gaza … and yet they’re willing to almost instantly sign on to a letter that’s based on a lie,” says Dr. Ben Thomson, a nephrologist at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and member of HAP, a national organization representing healthcare workers. He was at the Hands Off Rafah rally on Feb 12....

Op/Ed: Surrey City Council locks out residents, fails to shut down Palestine solidarity

Palestine solidarity organizing and mobilizations in Surrey, British Columbia (traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen, and Semiahmoo) have been growing in size and frequency. Now it seems local politicians are getting worried and taking pre-emptive steps to silence voices against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

On Monday, February 12, 2024, Surrey’s mayor and council took the extraordinary step of locking down city hall and refusing entrance to any Surrey residents in an effort to stop people expressing solidarity with Palestine to tell council to add their voices to a ceasefire call. People who showed up to attend council were confronted by RCMP officers, physical barriers, and locked doors.

Democracy in action.

quote:

Undemocratic practices

Protests are common occurrences at city council meetings in cities across the country, on a range of issues. We might ask if this will be the response of city council going forward to Surrey residents who might wish to raise oppositional voices at council meetings? Especially given Surrey residents’ dissatisfaction with this mayor and ruling slate pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into efforts to maintain the RCMP in Surrey.

It must be remembered that Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and ruling slate on council have questionable connections with the RCMP and are using public resources to keep the RCMP as the municipal force in that city — all while the RCMP have  longstanding connections with Israeli forces, including providing key personnel resources for Operation Proteus, the policing project over Palestinians in the West Bank.....

You didn't explain what Israel should do about Hamas being on their border and whose mission is to kill jews and eradicate Israel.

Stop killing innocent civilains is a good place to start, bombing its neighbours is also not a good way to ensure peace.

Here is what peaceful Palestians need to do merely to live in their ancstral homes.

Palestinian family fights settlers to keep their West Bank home, taking extreme measures to protect it for their children. The Soufan family's house is the only one standing on a hill surrounded by three legal Israeli settlements, an illegal settlement outpost, and an Israeli military camp. To stay, they have to take extreme measures, including never leaving their home unattended, fearing attacks by Israeli settlers. Moussaab Soufan says the attacks are getting more frequent and more violent. For this family, leaving their home would mean losing their land and heritage to illegal Israeli settlements. They are determined to stay and protect their home for future generations. The Israeli settlement project has pushed Palestinians off their lands for decades, but the Soufan family says they will remain the guardians of their hill in the occupied West Bank. Nida Ibrahim, Al Jazeera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAvQCERA_3g

So Paladin did you call the ANC back in the day as well. Do you not think that people have the right of self defence when they live under an apartheid regime?

 

kropotkin1951 wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAvQCERA_3g

That's fucked up. What's the deal with not being able to leave the house? Will Israelis take it over if no one is home?