THE CANADA FILES HOMEFOREIGN POLICY AFRICA ASIA EUROPE NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA THE MIDDLE EAST LOCAL ISSUES TORONTO QUEEN'S PARK INDIGENOUS NATIONS THE POLITICS OF SPORTS CANADA COLUMNISTS ADAM RIGGIO ALIENOR ROUGEOT DUSTIN OLSON JOHN CLARKE MOHAMMED SHAFI OTHER CONTRIBUTORS YVES ENGLER PODCASTS RADICAL DEMOCRATS RADIO SETTLERS BRAVE SPACE GET IN TOUCH ABOUT US CONTACT PITCHES & SUBMISSIONS Canadian BDS Coalition wants Trudeau to strip B'nai B'rith of charitable status and ban the JDL Chinese (Traditional)FrenchGermanItalianPortugueseSpanishSwedish Written by: Canadian BDS Coalition Once again the B’nai Brith of Canada, allied with the violent, extreme-right Jewish Defense League, (1) has undertaken a smear campaign aimed at shutting down a pro-Palestinian restaurant in Toronto. Foodbenders, a Toronto area restaurant known for its support for Indigenous rights, Black Lives Matter, Palestinian rights and social justice, has been targeted by the pillars of Canada’s Israel Lobby, most notably the B’nai Brith and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). The offending piece? This small restaurant owned by a progressive individual named Kimberley Hawkins, dared to paint ‘I Love Gaza’ in the window of the restaurant. On Instagram, Hawkins posted , ‘open now for non-racist shoppers’, #Free Palestine and #ZionistsNotWelcome. This touched off a salvo of angry tweets from B’nai Brith and CIJA denouncing Hawkins as an anti-Semite, thereby equating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism as per the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. This is a false definition of anti-Semitism meant to silence any legitimate criticism of Israel on the part of groups or individuals. In short, it is a bold-faced attack on the principle of free speech. Numerous Jews state openly that they are anti-Zionists. Does that make them anti-Semitic Jews? Or is it more the case that the Israel Lobby in Canada uses the false notion of anti-Semitism to whitewash Israeli apartheid? Who then are the real racists? The B’nai Brith is known for its open hostility to Muslims. It has staged aggressive demonstrations in front of mosques, has been active in smearing individuals of Muslim faith as was the case when it attacked Hassan Guillet -an Islamic religious leader who gained international attention for speaking out in the aftermath of the Quebec City mosque attack of 2017 - the nominee as candidate for the Quebec riding of St. Leonard. The Liberal Party of Canada, as is its habit, succumbed to the pressure of the Zionist lobby and dropped Guillet. The B’nai Brith even attacked Niki Ashton, an NDP Member of Parliament known for her defense of Indigenous and Palestinian rights, in a disgustingly dishonest attempt to paint her as an anti-Semite. Yet no one dares accuse the B’nai Brith of being a racist organization. “B’nai B’rith has also put out dozens of tweets about the restaurant and different ways to bankrupt it. One statement calls on its supporters to “contact 311@toronto.ca to request that Foodbenders have its business license investigated. Be sure to mention section 27 of By-law No. 574-2000, which prohibits the use of a licensed business to ‘discriminate against any member of the public’ on grounds of ‘race, colour, or creed.’ Attach screenshots if you can.” (2) This from an organization that discriminates against Muslims, this from an organization that blares its support for Black Lives Matter while refusing to denounce the police brutality of which Black Americans and Canadians are victims, this from an organization that preaches from the pulpit while allying itself with the violent JDL (on the FBI list of terror groups in 2001) and its Islamaphobia and thuggery. That an organization such as the B’nai Brith known for its anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias, should enjoy the status of a charitable organization in Canada (along with the racist Jewish National Fund) is an outrage. On October 29, 2018 the government of Canada introduced revised legislation under Bill C-86 that allows a charity to devote up to 100% of its resources to public policy dialogue and development activities. That comes with a caveat, however. Under the revised measures, charities are prohibited from undertaking activities that support or oppose a political party or candidate for public office. The point in law reads as follows: Prohibited: Supporting or opposing a political party or candidate The Income Tax Act prohibits a charity from devoting any part of its resources to the direct or indirect support of, or opposition to, any political party or candidate for public office.Footnote6 Any activity that supports or opposes a political party or candidate is not a PPDDA, and a charity cannot carry on such an activity to any degree. This requirement is particularly important to remember during an election period, when charities may want to express their views on the policy issues that matter to their supporters. Beyond the requirements of the Income Tax Act, charities are also subject to other legislation governing election and activities surrounding representation to parliamentarians, such as the Canada Elections Act and the Lobbying Act (see Other legal requirements). Under the Income Tax Act, a charity may publicly agree or disagree with a decision or position of a government, but in doing so must not support or oppose any political party or candidate for public office. As a general guideline, a charity’s communications should focus on the policy issue under discussion, and not refer to any candidate or political party. (3) The B’nai Brith has transgressed this stipulation under the Income Tax law on multiple occasions. Considering the impunity with which the B’nai Brith thumbs its nose at the law, the Canadian BDS Coalition demands that the charitable status of the B’nai Brith be investigated by the Canada Revenue Agency with the purpose of adjudicating whether or not the B’nai Brith should continue to have the right to stand as a charitable organization under the Income Tax Law. It is crucial for all concerned and progressive-minded Canadians to stand in solidarity with Kimberley Hawkins and Foodbenders. Given the Israel Lobby’s attempt to ruin her small restaurant business, we encourage our fellow Canadians as well as international supporters to support her business with donations. NOTES: (1) FBI lists Terrorism 2000-2001: https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/terror The Canadian BDS Coalition is comprised of groups in Canada that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel’s system of settler-colonialism, occupation, and apartheid towards the Palestinian people. More Articles Foreign policy nationalism must be named and challenged Jul 13, 2020 The United Church of Canada attempts to justify its relationship with pro-Israel lobby | Op-ed Jul 13, 2020 Charities are Not our Friends: WE Corruption Rocks the Trudeau Government Jul 12, 2020 July 14, 2020 NEXT Breaking: City of Toronto raids the AIR Collective, forces the group to disperse SUPPORT OUR PATREON! SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER! 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