November 10, 2024 | Barry Weisleder
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, spoke to over 120 people gathered on November 8 at the Steelworkers’ Hall in Toronto. Below is an excerpt from a Toronto Star article that reports on efforts by Zionist forces to block her contact with Liberal government officials.
Socialist Action members present at the Toronto meeting hailed the recent decision by Ottawa to terminate the ‘charitable’ status of the hard core Zionist, pro-genocide Jewish National Fund, demanded that the ban on the Palestinian prisoners’ rights organization Samidoun be rescinded, and that the government’s ‘terrorist list’ be abolished. Audience members bought copies of the SA monthly magazine The Red Review featuring the front page article “Righteous Student Activism and Evolving Anti-Palestinian Reprisal in Canada.” See: http://www.redreview.ca
OTTAWA—A United Nations rapporteur visiting Canada to urge the Trudeau government to increase pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza, said she was “snubbed” by the Prime Minister’s Office and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, told the Star in Ottawa on Tuesday that an invitation to meet with officials at Global Affairs Canada was abruptly withdrawn a week before she arrived to Ottawa, while a scheduled appearance before the House of Commons’ foreign affairs committee, which is currently conducting an independent study on the fastest way for Canada to recognize a Palestinian state, was also cancelled. She described herself as having been “snubbed” by the Canadian government.
“It is not lost on me that despite the urgency of the current moment, with a few important exceptions, the political leadership in this country chose to either not meet me or withdraw invitations to meet me,” the human rights lawyer told reporters during a news conference.
“What are they fearing?”
Joly did not reply when asked in person by the Star about Albanese’s comments Tuesday.
Global Affairs Canada and the Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
A clerk for the foreign affairs committee said its members agreed on Oct. 24 to withdraw their invitation to Albanese and requested a written statement instead, but did not explain why because the motion was adopted in a closed-door meeting.
Albanese pointed to a pressure campaign from pro-Israel groups that opposed her visit to Canada as a possible reason for the cancellation.
Describing Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza as a “genocide” while also condemning the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, Albanese said Canadian policy towards Israel is not “coherent” with its stated support for international human rights, and accused Canada and other Western nations of “colonial amnesia.”
