Terry Newman: Why Amsterdam’s chilling pogrom could happen in Canada

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Thursday night, videos showing Israeli soccer fans being ambushed over a period of several hours around Amsterdam appeared on social media, many of them proudly shared by the assailants themselves, echoing how videos of the October 7 attacks were similarly shared. Some attackers rode scooters while assaulting their victims. Mobs chanted anti-Israel slogans, proudly sharing videos of the assaults where they chased, kicked and beat Israeli citizens, after which, some celebrated. Sixty-two people were arrested. All but 10 were quickly released. All of this, on the eve of Kristallnacht. Like the Netherlands, Canadian society at all levels has failed to take a strong stance against antisemitism and to prevent what’s happening in Europe from happening here. That needs to change now. 

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These videos came to the attention of myself and others in real-time while in attendance at the “Spirit of Hope” gala in Toronto — an event honouring allies who help in the fight against antisemitism. In attendance were both Liberal and Conservative MPs, including Marco Mendicino and Michelle Rempel — proving that opposing antisemitism doesn’t have to be only a conservative trait.

While Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre couldn’t make it, he at least sent his regards.

Meanwhile, notable M.I.A’s at the event included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Immigration Minister Marc Miller, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. All of these leaders, in one way or another, have failed Jewish Canadians.

Like Dutch society up until now, the Liberal government has failed to take an unequivocal stand against antisemitism or plan to prevent attacks like this one in Europe from happening here. In fact, attitudes and policy decisions by leaders in Canada make such an attack much more likely.

Since the October 7 slaughter of 1200 people, mostly civilians, Trudeau’s Liberal government has failed to sufficiently condemn the targeting of Jewish Canadian synagogues, neighbourhoods, and businesses by “pro-Palestinian” protesters. Many of these protesters now have the courage to state outright that they support Hamas terrorists, whether it be by yelling their approval in a university foyer, carrying or setting up signs with red triangles, a symbol that represents targeted assassination, or wearing Hamas bandanas in our streets.

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Mealy-mouthed statements meant to signal support for Jewish communities have, of course, been released. But policy choices and actions in the House of Commons often contradict those statements.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has had a particularly hard time showing any support for the Jewish community whatsoever. Her office received a personal video thank you from a Hamas leader for supporting a ceasefire — someone who has stated outright that he’s not only uninterested in peace, but that Hamas’ goal is to eliminate Israel, and that the October 7 attacks committed by his group will be committed “again and again.”

Joly has also blocked military support from Canada to Israel, even going as far as to ban exports to the U.S. that could be destined for Israel. She also can’t seem to bring herself to condemn hateful protests happening in our streets in the House of Commons. But we should feel sorry for Joly… I mean, have you seen the demographics of her riding?

Immigration Minister Marc Miller, for his part, appears determined to make the problem worse. He’s decided Canada is the country that should take in Gazans by the thousands, despite the fact that according to a poll released on June 1, 2024, two-thirds of the Palestinian public supported the October 7 attack and 80 per cent believe it put the Palestinian issue at the centre of global attention, despite the fact that more than 60 per cent of Gazans had lost relatives in the war at the time. I’m not sure that sounds like a great idea, Marc.

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Meanwhile, the NDP published a statement last week claiming they were “strongly committed” to fighting against antisemitism, while in the same breath claiming that the working definition of antisemitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is too stringent. I kid you not. As evidence, the NDP cites fringe anti-Israel groups with “Jewish” or “Israel” in their names. As leader of the party, Jagmeet Singh must know that releasing this statement would not be received as a sign that his party condemns antisemitism.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also wasn’t in attendance. Perhaps it wasn’t as exciting or important as a Caribbean Carnival parade. Infamously, she missed the October 7 commemoration this year. When questioned about her absence, she blamed it on a communications error, as if the Mayor of Toronto should need to be reminded of the date of October 7. In a failed attempt to diminish her absence, she told morning talk show hosts that it didn’t matter that she didn’t attend because she wore black the entire day anyway.

There could be numerous reasons why these political leaders were not present at Thursday’s event. There are no reasonable explanations, however, for their approaches to date toward the Jewish community. After what we saw in Amsterdam, these leaders need to make an about face and radically change their communications and policies to take into consideration the safety of the Canadian Jewish community. There’s still a chance for them to change course, and maybe even end up on that stage themselves next year, receiving an award for being an ally to the Jewish community and an enemy of antisemitism. But I won’t hold my breath.

National Post

tnewman@postmedia.com

X:@TLNewmanMTL

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