Around a hundred demonstrators gathered in front of Montreal city hall to demand that Mayor Valérie Plante begin the dismantling of the last pro-Palestinian encampment located on the site of a Montreal university, namely the one located on the campus of the McGill University. They also took the opportunity to reiterate their demand for the dismissal of the Montreal commissioner for the fight against racism and systemic discrimination, Bochra Manaï.
“We no longer recognize Montreal,” exclaimed Steve Sebag, president of the board of directors of Federation CJA, which organized the event in partnership with the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations (CIJA). “Madam Mayor, cycle paths are good, but streets without deplorable acts are even better,” he told the crowd displaying signs and Israeli flags. Federation CJA is calling for the immediate dismantling of pro-Palestinian encampments, saying they create a climate of fear among Jewish students.
“I myself was a victim of doxing and intimidation on and off campus,” said Raihaana Adira, a Muslim student and representative of Allied Voices for Israel at McGill, in English. “I’m not Jewish, but I’m an ally,” she explained. I am against hatred and violence, quite simply. »
THE doxing is a form of cyberbullying in which an individual spreads information about their victim’s identity and private life.
The president of the Montreal Holocaust Museum, Jacques Saada, also took the floor to denounce the acts of vandalism, more specifically the hate speech written on the walls of the museum. Inaugurated in 1979 as the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre, the museum has begun construction in anticipation of its move in 2025. “I don’t have the strength to remain silent,” added Mr. Saada .
The commissioner in the spotlight
Last November, The duty revealed that Bochra Manaï displayed his allegiances in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with publications on social networks and by participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The CIJA then requested his resignation. This demand was reiterated during the demonstration on Monday.
“We are witnessing the complete silence of the commissioner [à propos de l’antisémitisme] », Denounced Julien Corona, associate director of communications at CIJA. “His presence in pro-Palestinian demonstrations is unacceptable,” he added, before once again calling for his dismissal.