Elham Asaad Buaras
A Canadian Jewish advocacy group has condemned the federal government for explicitly classifying anti-Zionism as a form of antisemitism in a report on efforts to combat anti-Jewish hatred, warning that the wording could threaten freedom of expression, academic freedom and protests Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) criticised the wording in a September 24 progress report published by Public Safety Canada on the government’s commitments to combat antisemitism.
The report states: “Antisemitism, which includes anti-Zionism, is not always obvious.” It also refers to “contemporary manifestations of antisemitism, including anti-Zionism” in discussing the Canadian Handbook on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.
IJV described the government’s position in a post on X as an “appalling capitulation” to pro-Israel organisations, including the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). It accused the government of “quietly redefining” opposition to Zionism as antisemitism, warning that this “endangers all Canadians’ right to freedom of expression”.
The group said anti-Zionism opposes settler colonialism in Palestine, including the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced during Israel’s creation, and continuing Israeli policies. It also cited opposition to what it called “apartheid walls” and the “terrorizing of civilians by violent settlers”.
IJV said its position was rooted in the belief that Palestinians, like all peoples, should live in dignity and safety, while “Jewish life can flourish everywhere without a violent ethnostate”.
The group warned that the government’s wording could undermine protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza and restrict Palestinians and their supporters from expressing their views. It called on Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and the department to retract the position and recognise anti-Zionism as “a legitimate political viewpoint” rooted in anti-colonialism and human rights.
The government’s handbook states that criticism of Israel, like criticism of any other country, is not in itself antisemitic. It also identifies certain forms of opposition to Israel or Zionism as potentially antisemitic, including denying Jewish people the right to self-determination.
The government maintains that the IHRA working definition is not legally binding and “does not criminalise any expression or behaviour”.
The definition has been the subject of debate in Canada, with governments and institutions using it as a framework for identifying antisemitism.
In evidence to the Canadian House of Commons Justice Committee, IJV and the Jewish Faculty Network argued that the definition had been used to suppress legitimate criticism of Israel and erase the identity of anti-Zionist Jews. Other witnesses told the committee that anti-Zionism could be intertwined with antisemitism and that references to “Zionists” were sometimes used as a proxy for Jews.
The September 24 report also states that police services are increasingly using the IHRA definition as a practical guide to recognising and assessing potential antisemitic incidents.
