Bowman appeals to agency to cancel controversial speaker
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/04/2019 (2358 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Mayor Brian Bowman made a public appeal Tuesday afternoon to the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg to disinvite controversial speaker Linda Sarsour, whom he described as anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic.
But the agency said the Friday night event is going ahead as planned, with Sarsour.
Bowman, in a news conference in the city hall press room surrounded by several leaders from the city’s Jewish community, said he is personally offended by many of the comments made by Sarsour, one of three speakers planned for a panel discussion Friday titled Sorry Not Sorry: Unapologetically Working for Social Justice, co-hosted by the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg and the Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute
Bowman said he had approached the Social Planning Council privately more than a week ago but they rebuffed his request, adding that prompted him to go public with his concerns with the Jewish community leaders.
“I appealed to them to reconsider providing a platform to welcome this speaker to Winnipeg,” Bowman said.
Sarsour is an American-born Muslim of Palestinian origin who gained profile for helping plan the Women’s March on Washington following Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2017. She has attracted controversy for her criticism of Israel, which some believe crosses the line into anti-Jewish sentiment.
The event is taking place at the Ukrainian Labour Temple, on Pritchard Avenue, after the original venue at at the Seven Oaks School Division Performing Arts Centre on Jefferson Avenue was cancelled by division officials in the face of a petition with more than 1,250 signatures opposed to Sarsour’s participation.
Sarsour could not be reached for comment.
Joining Bowman at the news conference were several leaders from the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and Ran Ukashi, the national director of the League For Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada.
“If the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg is indeed serious about organizing across communities and cultures, then they would not include someone perceived by the Jewish community to be so hateful and divisive,” said Laurel Malkin, president of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg. “Miss Sarsour is injecting the toxin of anti-Semitism into the public discourse and this is dangerous.”
Ukashi offered a similar comment.
“Miss Sarsour has a troubling history of belittling instances of anti-Semitism, associating with known anti-Semites, praising convicted terrorists and trading in concerning age-old canards, such as accusations of loyalty against Jews,” he said.

Kate Kehler, executive director of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, said the agency underestimated the impact Sarsour’s comments on Palestine has had on the Jewish community but added she doesn’t believe Sarsour is anti-Semitic.
“We wouldn’t have invited her if we did,” Kehler said. “We understand there are people in the Jewish community who adamantly feel that way but there are also a great many people in the Jewish community who support this event, who want to hear what she has to say.”
Kehler said Sarsour was invited because of her successful track record in showing how people and groups from different backgrounds and cultures and with strongly divergent views can be brought together to work collaboratively.
“We never intended to have a conversation on the Middle East. That wasn’t our goal at all. They key discussion points are how do we organize across cultures and communities, how do we use education, how do we communicate it generationally and, very importantly, how do we grow through conflict and controversy?”
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca