I was asked recently why I care about one of the oldest and most insidious forms of hate — antisemitism.
“You’re not Jewish”, one person said. “Who cares?” asked another. Well, we should all care, and it has nothing to do with one being Jewish. History has shown that while prejudice and hatred may start with Jews it does not end with them.
In my own family history, if my mom and her family were not away visiting relatives for Tet (the Vietnamese Lunar New Year) when the communists violated the new year ceasefire, I would not be here today. The communist forces went on to commit unspeakable atrocities during the Tet Offensive. In contemporary times, it has parallels to what was done by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
Today, just like in the past, what should have been a very clear case of right vs. wrong, of good against evil, has been deliberately muddled by the spread of misinformation or attempts to justify the Hamas attack as being one of striking Israel because, well, it’s their right to do anything given a history of poor treatment. Such nonsense.
There is no moral equivalency between a recognized terrorist organization and a state with a right to defend itself and a duty to protect its people — including rescuing hostages.
I have met with family and friends of some Israeli hostages. Their pain is immeasurable. They’re unable to eat and sleep. They don’t know what condition their loves ones are in, how they’re being treated, or if they’re even alive or dead.
Theirs is an agony I have heard before. During the Vietnam War, my grandfather was held captive by communists. My uncle, a captain in the South Vietnamese Rangers, later joined him as a prisoner of war. Decades later when my mother recounted that bit of family history, I could sense the feelings of desperation she had. I heard them again on Parliament Hill from the families of the hostages.
What happened in Israel on Oct. 7 was an extreme act of antisemitism. However, the scourge of hate isn’t something plaguing a faraway land, it’s a cancer that also infects Canada. And like any disease, we must fight all its variants before it spreads.
There have been alarming incidents of Jewish-owned businesses being targeted, attempted firebombing of synagogues, and Jewish schools shot at and facing bomb threats. There was also an alleged assault of someone wearing a keffiyeh, a symbol associated with the Palestinian movement. The Toronto Islamic Centre has faced assaults and threats.
These things are happening on the streets of Toronto, Montreal, and other cities. With every incident of hate left unanswered, those who seek to do harm are emboldened and violence escalates.
When Cafe Landwer was first targeted, staff and customers were harassed by so-called peaceful protesters. The second incident targeting an Aroma cafe a week later saw an escalation from harassment to vandalism.
We are one step away from breaking windows. The tragic irony is Nov. 9, 2023, marked the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, when the Nazis unleashed violence and horror on Jewish-owned businesses, homes and synagogues.
Gratefully, Toronto Police have made arrests in the Islamophobic incident at the Toronto Islamic Centre, and in a blatant act of antisemitism at an Indigo bookstore targeting renowned Jewish-Canadian philanthropist Heather Reisman.
Irrespective of the current situation in the Hamas-Israeli conflict and regardless of one’s own views or ethnicity, no one is free to break Canada’s hate propaganda laws. Intolerance and intimidation represent callous and unacceptable behaviour. People who display hate must be prosecuted to the full extent of our law. After all, if someone hates a person for being Jewish, chances are they will hate me for being Chinese, and others for being Muslim.
This is not a restriction on free speech and the right to peaceful protest. It is a call for upholding the rule of law, public safety, and creating dialogue aimed at fostering peace and understanding. This is what we should all be caring about.
— Kevin Vuong is the Independent Member of Parliament for Spadina-Fort York. The son of refugees, he is the youngest MP of Asian heritage elected to the 44th Parliament. He also serves as a naval reserve officer in the Canadian Armed Forces.
VUONG: Why everyone should care about the rise of hate
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02.12.2023
I was asked recently why I care about one of the oldest and most insidious forms of hate — antisemitism.
“You’re not Jewish”, one person said. “Who cares?” asked another. Well, we should all care, and it has nothing to do with one being Jewish. History has shown that while prejudice and hatred may start with Jews it does not end with them.
In my own family history, if my mom and her family were not away visiting relatives for Tet (the Vietnamese Lunar New Year) when the communists violated the new year ceasefire, I would not be here today. The communist forces went on to commit unspeakable atrocities during the Tet Offensive. In contemporary times, it has parallels to what was done by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
Today, just like in the past, what should have been a very clear case of right vs. wrong, of good against evil, has been deliberately muddled by the spread of misinformation or attempts to justify the Hamas attack as being one of striking Israel because, well, it’s their right to do anything given a history of poor treatment. Such nonsense.
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