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City Council Reaffirms Support for Pride Toronto, Condemns Term “Israeli Apartheid”

Compromise motion resolves conflict around Queers Against Israeli Apartheid's participation in the Pride parade, at least for the moment.

By • Photo by Corbin Smith

The rainbow flag at Toronto City Hall.

Though the buildup to today’s debate about whether to grant Pride Toronto its annual funding was long, the debate itself proved brief. James Pasternak (Ward 10, York Centre), concerned about the participation of protest group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid in the Pride parade, had initially suggested that council should defer funding until after the parade, and make it contingent on QuAIA being kept out—earlier this week he told us he planned to move a motion to that effect. A compromise was developed among councillors over the past few days, however, and today no such motion materialized. Instead, council voted to

reaffirm its recognition of Pride Toronto as a significant cultural event that strongly promotes the ideals of tolerance and diversity, but condemn the use of the term ‘Israeli Apartheid’ which undermines these values and also diminishes the suffering experienced by individuals during the Apartheid regime in South Africa.

“The real, real battleground is revising the anti-discrimination policy,” said Pasternak just after the vote was taken. Those revisions, he hopes, will preclude the term “Israeli Apartheid” figuring in future debates at City Hall, by rendering it in clear violation of a new anti-discrimination policy. Last year, City staff researched the subject and concluded that “Israeli Apartheid” did not violate the existing policy, triggering a request for revisions to it. Those proposed revisions came from staff within the past week, however, and they contain no specific mention of the term nor any clauses that seem to render it discriminatory.

When asked whether or how council could ensure that “Israeli Apartheid” was specifically captured by an anti-discrimination policy, Pasternak said he believed that it would be covered if the policy looked at the “intention and phraseology” in language use. (He maintains that “Israeli Apartheid” is a term that promotes hatred.) “We don’t want world conflicts here; people come here to avoid world conflicts,” he added.

Judging intent is, of course, very tricky territory: as soon as he made those remarks, reporters immediately began asking Pasternak if this was leading down to road the censorship. If the City denies a cultural organization funding it would otherwise receive any time material (even if not directly commissioned by the organization) offends another group in the city, have we gone too far? He denied that he was advocating for such restrictions, maintaining that the City’s mandate was to fund cultural organizations, not “demonstrations.”

Pride Toronto, along with other major cultural organizations, did receive its funding today; after passing the above motion councillors passed the grant allocations unanimously. Notably, that funding is not contingent: Pride will get it whether or not QuAIA shows up. It will take a bit of time though, to see whether the issue has been put to rest.

Comments

  • Anonymous

    How does the phrase “Israeli Apartheid” undermine tolerance? Which activities is council specifically saying we should tolerate?

    Does “diversity” not include the diversity of opinions and beliefs within the community Pride serves?

    I completely reject the notion that using the term Apartheid diminishes anything experienced by victims of it in South Africa.

    • Anonymous

      Because it’s a lie. An antisemetic attack invented by arch Palestinian terrorist Arafat.

      The comparison is obscene.

      Apparently you didn’t know that 20% of the population in Israel is Palestinian. Yes that’s correct. 1 in 5 citizens are muslim or christian Arabs living inside Israel – they would beg to deffer there exists Apartheid.

      There are also Palestinians in Israels Parliament. There is a Palestinian who is a Supreme court Judge in Israel.

      First, research and understand what Apartheid was. Then you will see how awful the slander is – especially carried out by the gay community that would be embraced inside Israel, yet criminalized in the Arab territories.

      • Antinephalist

        Apartheid is synonymous with segregation, and segregation is exactly what Israel practices against non-Jewish people living in the country and in the occupied territories under Israeli rule.

        The idea that the gay community has to ignore everything about Israel except its position on homosexuality is specious and ludicrous.

      • Anonymous

        You seem to regard yourself as a better judge of apartheid than Desmond Tutu, so I suppose there’s no point in trying to reason with you on the matter.

        • Anonymous

          You hang on to TuTu as some sort of proof. As if the man is a Saint.

          Desmond TuTu has a long history of ugly hatred toward the Jewish people, the Jewish religion and the Jewish state.

          He has invoked classic anti-Semitic stereotypes and tropes about Jewish “arrogance”, “power” and money. He has characterized Jews a “peculiar people,” and has accused “the Jews” of causing many of the world’s problems. He once even accused the Jewish state of acting in an “unChristian” way.

          He has minimized the suffering of those murdered in the Holocaust by asserting that “the gas chambers” made for “a neater death” than did Apartheid. In other words, the Palestinians, who in his view are the victims of “Israeli Apartheid,” have suffered more than the victims of the Nazi Holocaust. He has complained of “the Jewish Monopoly of the Holocaust,” and has demanded that its victims must “forgive the Nazis for the Holocaust,” while refusing to forgive the “Jewish people” for “persecute[ing] others.”

          He has accused the Jews of Israel of doing “things that even Apartheid South Africa had not done.” He has said that “the Jews thought they had a monopoly of God: Jesus was angry that they could shut out other human beings.” He has said that Jews have been “fighting against” and being “opposed to” his God.

          He has claimed that his God sides with Palestinians, whom he compares to the Israelites under bondage in Egypt, and has sought to explain, if not justify, how Israeli actions lead directly to suicide bombings and other forms of terrorism.

          He has been far more vocal about Israel’s imperfections than about the genocides in Rwanda, Darfur and Cambodia.

          Tutu has acknowledged having been frequently accused of being anti-Semitic,” to which he has offered two responses: “Tough luck;” and “my dentist’s name is Dr. Cohen.”

          Please spare me the “Desmond TuTu says it’s Apartheid” bit. TuTu is an aging old bigot.

          • Anonymous

            You know, the hasbara program is getting so predictable it’s almost funny: If anyone criticizes a policy, action or behavior of the state of Israel, dig deep and slander them in a concerted manner, and be sure to apply the label “anti-Semite”.

            Most of what you wrote above was directly plagiarized from the crusty old baron of hasbara, Alan Dershowitz, who did the job on Tutu here: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/1742/bishop-tutu-is-no-saint-when-it-comes-to-jews

            It is pathetic and shameful how low Israel is prepared to sink in order to duck legitimate criticism.

      • Anonymous

        “Apparently you didn’t know that 20% of the population in Israel is Palestinian. Yes that’s correct. 1 in 5 citizens are muslim or christian Arabs living inside Israel – they would beg to deffer there exists Apartheid.”

        I don’t think they’re the victims of apartheid QAIA has in mind. The Palestinians in the Occupied Territories are not citizens of Israel but are forced to endure Israeli checkpoints, vacate their property to make room for Israeli-only settlements and ghetto walls, are hassled or denied entry to Israel even if they are married to an Israeli, are escorted out of Israel when they turn 12 (being born there doesn’t make one a citizen), collectively punished for the actions of individuals, and repeatedly denied international recognition by Israel and its military allies.

        It’s wonderful that Israel-proper has made room for citizens of Palestinian origin, and it’s certainly true gays are safer in Israel than anywhere else in the region, but these facts mustn’t be allowed to obscure what some 3 million Palestinians in the territories still endure at Israel’s behest.

  • Anonymous

    Toronto City Council says: “the term ‘Israeli Apartheid’ … diminishes the suffering experienced by individuals during the Apartheid regime in South Africa”

    Seems Toronto councillors believe they know more about apartheid in South Africa than Nobel laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu does. Because Mr. Tutu, who lived under and fought against South African apartheid, has described Israeli policy and actions regarding Palestinians as “apartheid”.

    • Anonymous

      The Israeli Government had no problem with apartheid when they were diplomatic and military allies with apartheid South Africa.

      Apparently, they were inspired.

    • Anonymous

      Desmond TuTu also said God is not a Christian.

      I bet that one you don’t agree with.

  • Anonymous

    I’m thoroughly enjoying the fact that Council has unwitingly helped QuAIA achieve its ends, by lending further publicity to it, probably beyond their wildest dreams.

    Bravo, you pathetic bunch of half-wits!

    • Anonymous

      I often think Sue Ann Levy acts as their unwitting press secretary. They should send flowers, or something.

  • Anonymous

    Yes, now QuAIA can hold a protest against the only country in the middle east where homosexuality isn’t outlawed or severely puished – where gay Palestinians flee to escape hostility in Palestinian territories – during the Pride parade. Yay…?

    • Anonymous

      Absolutely. Israel holds a pride parade of their own, they embrace and protect Arab homosexuals, where in Arab lands being gay is a crime punishable by death.

      Just goes to show you how irrational anti-Israel bias is.

      • Antinephalist

        Israel also issues different license plates to Palestinians that forbid them from driving on some roads. They prevent family reunification. They have two kinds of government, for Jewish municipalities and “minority” municipalities.

        Apartheid means segregation. That’s what Israel does.

        • Anonymous

          That’s just more anti-Israel slander. How about some context?

          The couple roads you refer to (out of tens of thousands) are the few that have been used by Palestinian terrorists to murder thousands of innocent Israelis over many decades.

          Preventing family reunification? yuck. I realize you are using that invented term of yours to demonize Israel. But it’s false. And at a minimum, out of context.

          How about a mention that there’s been a Palestinian doctrine since the 70′s to send their children out to become martyrs. Family reunification, that’s rich!

          Why no mention that this future Palestinian state of yours will be Jew-free? Judenrein. I mean let’s be honest here, the Palestinian leadership themselves guarantee it.

          You are using the tiniest tidbits of truth to frame your entire “Apartheid” argument. But as always, you people leave out any context.

          For example: Israeli citizens suffer a decades long onslaught of suicide bombings in their cafes, public transit and day cares. They build a security fence to keep the murderers away.

          Your version: Israel builds wall, segregates Palestinians.

          You simply have no idea what you are talking about. You are in fact repeating age old myths invented by Arafats PLO.

      • leslievilleguy

        It is entirely appropriate to see a state that is doing good things, and to expect more of it. Israel espouses decidedly western values. Is it really too much to ask that it apply those values across the entire spectrum of it’s government’s actions?

        • Anonymous

          I agree with you. And so do Israelis.

          There is constant debate, and constant change going on there.

          And you must admit, after 70 years of dealing with an implacable and tireless enemy, surrounded by the most hostile of nations, wars and terrorism – Israel is doing pretty good.

          The problem is it’s not just about “expecting more” of Israel, which is fair as it is a democracy with similar values. It’s about something that is not fair – demonization, double standards and delegitimization.

          • leslievilleguy

            Granted, I haven’t been following QuAIA as closely as many others, but I haven’t seen them as trying to delegitimize Israel – at most I’ve seen a protest using a controversial label, and not much more.

            It seems to me it has been their critics that are ascribing these motivations and intentions to QuAIA, and in doing so at the top of their lungs, have publicized the existence of the group far and away beyond what they could have hoped for as a part of the Pride Parade.

          • Anonymous

            You’re right, no one has ever been able to come up with any evidence at all that QuAIA is in any way anti-semitic, except those who claim any criticism of Israel is anti-semitic which is BS, and there’s not a single HR group anywhere that focuses on every country that abuses the HR of those under its control so the argument that QuAIA is anti-semitic because they focus on Israel is also BS. There isn’t one protest group of any sort that focuses on every issue at the same time, its impossible to do so. Besides which at Pride there are always groups protesting against a variety of countries for differing reasons but since no one is trying to silence them they never get heard about.

            Its odd too since Israelis often use the term apartheid to apply to the situation there, whether they’re opposed to it or proud and supportive of it, yet for some reason here in Toronto we’re not supposed to have the same sort of freedom of speech that Israelis have. Most of QuAIA is Jewish, Jewish Israeli Canadians who lived most of their life in Israel and know what they’re talking about and most of the rest are HR activists who have been fighting against various HR abuses around the world for decades now.

          • leslievilleguy

            One other quick comment, not really on the topic of QuAIA. If you’re still fighting an enemy after 70 years, you’re doing something wrong. Perhaps a change in strategy is called for.

          • Anonymous

            You mean like in 2000, when the Palestinians were offered a state, but refused it and launched the terror war called the second intifada?

            Or do you mean a couple years ago in 2008, when they were offered even more, but turned it down once again in favor of war.

            You see, you have to ask yourself – what is it then the Palestinians want? Israel knows what they want. They want all of Israel with no Jews in it.

          • John Duncan

            Maybe this is silly of me, but I’d presume that they want Israelis to stop killing 10 – 100 times as many Palestinians each year (vs. Israelis killed by Palestinians), the return of Israel to its 1947 borders, and the removal of settlers and security forces from the occupied territories.

            Even in the darkest days of the Intifada, twice as many Palestinians were murdered as were Israelis. Peace can’t grow unless at least one side commits to stopping killing, and as the side that’s doing more of it, that may as well be Israel.

          • leslievilleguy

            Actually, I do mean that. Israel’s response (you could substitute strategy here) has been overwhelming, asymmetrical force in the face of every single challenge. The result has been to radicalize generations of Palestinians and deepen the problems in the region.

            Of course I understand the motivation to not give your enemy the feeling of winning, but maybe the solution is to start thinking of the Palestinians not as your enemy, but as your neighbours?

      • Anonymous

        Tdotscribe more Christian dominant countries have the death penalty for being LGBT than Muslim countries do. I’m sure this will be a surprise to you to but Islam has many different sects and they don’t all believe the same things. Some Islamic sects are religiously opposed to the death penalty for any crime, and only Iran executes LGBT people on any sort of regular basis though they do have the death penalty for LGBT people in Saudi Arabia its extremely rarely used since it requires 4 witnesses to the act, how often have 4 people watched you have sex? There are no laws against LGBT people in Jordan or Egypt, two of Israel’s neighbours.

        Same-sex sex was also illegal in S. Africa yet many queers fought against apartheid there regardless. Post apartheid S. Africa is the only country in the world to have equality for LGBT people explicitly mentioned in their constitution. Queers have a long history of fighting oppression where ever they find it, many of the members of QuAIA have been involved in HR struggles around the world for decades now, others are Jewish, some are Jewish Israeli-Canadians who experienced the situation in Israel first hand and know what they’re talking about.

    • Anonymous

      Homosexuality isn’t illegal in Jordan or Egypt, but those aren’t real ME countries I guess. Pride is tolerated in one city in Israel, Tel Aviv, when they tried to hold it in Jerusalem the Pride marchers were physically attacked by anti-LGBT Israelis despite the large numbers of police that were deployed to protect the Pride marchers the Pride parade wasn’t able to continue as planned. Such an open, accepting and diversity loving country where large numbers of police are needed to protect Pride marchers and are incapable of doing so. I don’t think they’ve even attempted to hold another Pride celebration in Jerusalem after that. Mind you that failed attempt at holding a Pride celebration in Jerusalem did manage to unite the Jewish, Christian and Muslim bigots in the city for a brief while before they went back to hating one another. Israel still does not have full equality for its LGBT citizens, same sex marriage is still illegal there and likely always will be since only Orthodox Jews get to decide who can marry in Israel and who cannot.

      • Anonymous

        Still light years ahead of their neighbours. Unfortunately for you, I looked up the Pride parade in Jerusalem. It turns out that contrary to what you imply, it’s an annual event and while it may have had problems in some years, other years less so. Bending the truth a bit? How many Pride marches have there been in other ME countries?

        But hey, if you want to belittle years of Pride parades in Israel and make the one oasis of tolerance in the ME the centrepiece of things for the LGBT community to protest, I guess that’s your perogative. I’m not personally invested one way or the other, but you and your comments stink.

  • fullannexation

    This is one of those occasions where I disagree with all parties. First, apartheid (small a) quite accurately describes Israel’s settler occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This is not a queer issue however. I dont know what Palestinian refugees in Nablus would make of a bunch of predominantly white kids supporting their cause with a rainbowized version of their flag. Aside from that, while Israel has many shortcomings, its gay rights record is not one of them, so bringing the issue up in the Pride parade only invites controversy and counter action from pro-Israeli groups. The QuAIA is merely a latecomer in the seemingly endless stream of BDS strategic blunders.

    Obviously Israels occupation is a huge issue, but it is hardly one that merits action at any conceivable event. The main problem with the BDS movement is that they tend to think any battle that can be fought must be fought even if it hasnt been fully thought through.

    • http://twitter.com/leftytgirl Savannah

      Israel has engaged in a very specific campaign to use mainstream gay rights discourse as a distraction from its policies in Gaza and the West Bank and its treatment of Palestinians generally. Israel has invested considerable sums of money into that campaign and has quite intentionally incorporated that as a talking point for its army of spokespeople in the United States. Even Netanyahu himself mentioned LGBT rights in his speech for the U.S. Congress; somehow I doubt he talks about LGBT rights all that much in Hebrew.

      QuAIA exists to challenge that talking point and keep the focus on building consensus for a realistic approach to ending the conflict and establishment of a meaningful Palestinian (one-state, two-state, whatever, as long as Palestinians actually have full rights).

      I think it’s also worth pointing out that the major Palestinian LGBTI rights organizations (e.g. al-qaws and Palestinian Queers for BDS) have specifically endorsed QuAIA’s actions in the past, including projecting that message in the Toronto Pride parade.

      • fullannexation

        I wont disagree with you that a large part of Israels gay rights is owed to PR, and I support what QuAIA is trying to do, I just think they are going about it in the wrong way. There are plenty of times to speak against Israeli Apartheid. If Netanyahu comes to Toronto, I will be one of the protesters to greet him. Nakba Day is also an appropriate time to protest. Pride is just an awkward context for this. I watched last time QuAIA marched in pride, and from what I remember, the people who supported Palestinian Rights were receptive, the Pro-Israeli’s were angry (and they had a large contingent in the march that dwarfed QuAIA), and the majority of people watching seemed to scratch their heads and think that it was something of a non-sequeter.

        Again, I support them in spirit, but my qualms are strategic. QuAIA will not challenge Israel even in Toronto. All they will manage to do is galvanize pro-Israeli’s to form their own marching group that will, in all likelihood, be very large. And, from what I remember, the Pro-Israeli group was better at speaking to people outside their fold. QuAIA, like other BDS movements, lacks a certain evangelical streak that more often than not leaves them preaching to the choir. In order to be successful with this (as well as any other) issue, you have to be willing and able to reach out to the people on the fence.

        • http://twitter.com/leftytgirl Savannah

          Look, your heart is in the right place but your mind is just obsessed with defeat… you’re literally snatching defeat from the jaws of victory on this one.

          The fact is that the Israel lobby (major organizations with massive funding) have been investing tremendously into trying to kick QuAIA out of this parade for four years. Make no mistake; they mean to set a precedent and they mean to use that and similar actions as a starting point for clamping down on speech that criticizes Israel across Canada and eventually the U.S.

          And you know what? A group of what, twenty core grassroots activists, have led the charge against that and won, consistently. The city manager’s report from last year makes a clear legal statement that criticizing Israel is not hate speech, the Israel lobby is wrong. That report would never have been released if QuAIA had not been there all along, fighting tooth and nail through this thing.

          Not only that but by doing it we have had a positive on-the-ground impact in the queer community. A few years ago if someone said “I’m opposed to Israel’s apartheid against the Palestinians” most queers in Toronto would have been like “whatever, that has nothing to do with me.” But now that everyone has been through this battle together, the landscape has really changed. People are receptive to our message who used to have no interest in it. That’s because the lobby was so aggressive in going after us, and we stood our ground against them, and won.

          There have been further advances, such as the resignation of the corrupt Pride Executive Director, Tracey Sandilands. The community gave up on her because she obviously didn’t have a handle on the situation, and once it was revealed she was sending kickbacks to her partner, she was gone.

          And FTR, QuAIA’s contingent at the 2010 march (we didn’t participate in 2011) was just as large as the pro-Israel group… the main difference was that we were actually, you know, queer.

          I’m more than open criticism on questions of strategy, but your assumptions that the last few years of pushing the lobby back and out of the queer community is somehow a big loss is just, well, kind of weird.

    • Anonymous

      Pride has always featured LGBT groups protesting or supporting a wide variety of issues from here at home to around the world, many of which are not directly connected to LGBT equality but since they are members of Toronto’s LGBT communities they are and always have been welcome at Pride.

      I disagree with you on Israel’s LGBT rights record, true its not the worst country in the world for LGBT people but it certainly not the best, it pales in comparison to Canada for example. Same-sex couples still cannot get married in Israel nor can they adopt. In Jerusalem religious bigots physically assaulted LGBT marchers when they tried to hold a Pride march there causing the Pride parade to end early since the cops couldn’t control the bigots trying to and too often succeeding in beating the crap of the LGBT people in the parade. Discrimination and hate based violence against LGBT people in Israel is widespread, the only time the Israeli gov’t offers any assistance to LGBT Israelis is when they pay for a contingent from Tel Aviv to attend Pride celebrations in other countries in a PR effort. Just because Israel isn’t as bad as some countries for LGBT people does not mean it has a good record on LGBT equality rights.

  • Anonymous
  • Paul

    “[Pasternak] maintains that “Israeli Apartheid” is a term that promotes hatred.”

    Well, I certainly hate Pasternak more than I did before he tried to fuck up Pride.

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