Canada @lemmy.ca lautan @lemmy.ca 1 mo. ago

Olivia Chow skips Toronto's Israeli flag raising event as 'it's a bit divisive'

nationalpost.com Olivia Chow skips Toronto's Israeli flag raising event as 'it's a bit divisive'

'There's a war going on in the Middle East and people are protesting every weekend,' the Mayor of Toronto said in a statement

'There's a war going on in the Middle East and people are protesting every weekend,' the Mayor of Toronto said in a statement

25 comments

Why raise another nation's flag at all, let alone one filled with murder as a state goal.
- And they've been doing it since 1999. Makes no sense to me.
- Why raise the Canadian flag then? How many of my native brothers y'all kill?
  
  National flags are jingoist nonsense. Patriotism is a social disease.
  
  I haven’t killed anyone.
She may be signaling that she's against Israeli genocide.
Honestly, for a mayor in Canada I feel like that is entirely appropriate to not take a stance on foreign policy.
Symbol of genocide is being admired ...

The west has lost its fucking mind... Never again expect this one more time because holocaust?
adding that she “generally” doesn’t attend flag raising events.

Feels like the most relevant part of the article.
"it's a bit divisive"

"I'll piss off some of my voters either way, so best not to take a principled stance." It's disappointing she won't denounce genocide, but not particularly surprising.
- Tbh, policing of criticism of the Israeli government and their ongoing colonialist genocide of the Palestinian people has been so profoundly pervasive and oppressive in Canada (and US, Germany, and other countries), at least the half year or so, that I consider Chow's comments and non-participation pretty courageous and commendable actually. Like you, I certainly would have liked a more principled stance that explicitly denounces genocide, but given the almost absurd level of censorship and whitewashing that's been going on, I think she's perhaps saying and doing as much as she can. It's clear to me that this is much larger than her. I'm glad she's mildly voicing dissent about the flag-raising at Toronto City Hall. It's a @#$%ing travesty
  
  That's fair. Maybe I'm putting too much of the systemic problems at her feet, when in fact I'm more disappointed in almost all of our leadership. And you're right, it's better than nothing.
coward
- I don't think there's anything cowardly about refusing to support Netanyahu's antisemitic government, except that she wasn't a bit firmer about it.
Bet she still went to the Chinese festival though

Edit: to everyone downvoting me. Most of the Chinese themed events in Toronto are round about funded by the CCP who commits acts of genocide against its Muslim populations daily. But you guys aren't really pro Muslim/Arab human rights, just anti Israel.

https://medium.com/@somebodyhkyyz/ccp-infiltration-in-toronto-federation-of-chinese-canadians-in-markham-fccm-2a6ef9cc7ac1
- Racist much?
  
  Here you go moron. Most of the Chinese themed events such as the season festival. Taste of Asia, etc. in Toronto are round about funded by the CCP who commits acts of genocide against its Muslim populations daily. But you guys aren't really pro Muslim/Arab human rights, just anti Israel.
  
  https://medium.com/@somebodyhkyyz/ccp-infiltration-in-toronto-federation-of-chinese-canadians-in-markham-fccm-2a6ef9cc7ac1
She'll be voted out next election. Spineless coward.
- I think refusing to support an antisemitic government like Israel is brave.
  
  Doesn't really matter what you think. She'll be voted out next time. Like she deserves for being a coward.

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