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e-4960 (Justice)

E-petition
Initiated by Talia Klein Leighton from Toronto, Ontario

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • The slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” refers to the elimination of the State of Israel and the extermination of the country’s Jewish inhabitants;
  • The slogan is inherently genocidal and antisemitic, and willfully promotes hatred and violence toward Jewish people;
  • The U.S. House of Representatives voted 377 to 44 in favor of House Resolution 883 that refers to the slogan as anti-Semitic and that its use be condemned; and
  • The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland in Germany has banned the slogan.
We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada and members of the Canadian Women Against Antisemitism (CWAA), call upon the Government of Canada to
1. Provide clarity to law enforcement agencies and provincial/territorial attorneys general that the slogan contravenes section 319(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada which concerns the Wilful Promotion of Hatred and states that: Every one who, by communicating statements, other than in private conversation, wilfully promotes hatred against any identifiable group is guilty of (a) an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years; or (b) an offence punishable on summary conviction;
2. Examine and provide clarity on the legality and public use of other slogans, such as: “Globalize the Intifada” and “Long Live October 7th.”; and
3. Convene a National Summit on Anti-Semitism in Canada before June 21, 2024.
Open for signature
April 25, 2024, at 3:22 p.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
May 25, 2024, at 3:22 p.m. (EDT)
Photo - Kevin Vuong
Spadina—Fort York
Independent
Ontario