The Ignominy of Queens Park

Countering complaints from Jewish groups that Queens Park, the seat of Ontario provincial government, is offering legitimacy to an virulent anti-Israel group advocating for the destruction of Israel under the banner of al-Quds Day advanced by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the legislature's sergeant-in-arms serenely responded it is all permissible in the name of free speech.

Free speech, then, permits the presence of flags and banners advocating violent destruction of a free state, and the logos of terrorist groups.

The sergeant-in-arms, Dennis Clark, explained his handling of the application process, along with the speaker of the legislature, assuring his critics that the issue would be handled more delicately this year, with fewer provocative speakers and an absence of Hezbollah symbols.

And, according Speaker Dave Levac, the application by the Pro-Palestinian International Day of Al-Quds Day was confirmed to have been given approval.

So that makes for quite odd bedfellows; the Government of Ontario and the Government of Iran agreeing that Al-Quds Day was deserving of being honoured in both countries.  In the country of its origination with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's Islamist Revolution declaring that Israel must be destroyed and Jerusalem retaken for the Arabs of the Middle East and specifically the Palestinians.

And in Canada, where similar rallies were planned for Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.  The Edmonton co-organizer crowed that his group had no trouble at all securing a permit to similarly present at the Alberta legislature.  "We feel a human rights duty to not be silent about oppression in other parts of the world", said Hosein Taghaddos.

Speaking in nomenclature readily understood and righteously supported by leftist-liberals who have no problems, it would appear, with the notion that life is as simple as they would have it, that there are oppressors and the oppressed, that the Republic of Iran is not a threat to world peace and security with its nuclear plans but Israel, which has been forced to fight for its existence over the length of its existence, represents a condemnatory state.

Tehran rallies for al-Quds Day

With the current president of Iran telling worshippers at Tehran University that "The Zionist regime is a malignant cancer, if even one cell remains on Palestinian land, the current situation will continue in the future. Zionists want to spread."  And the massive rallies in Tehran holding aloft banners in support of the "Palestinian resistance to the Israeli regime."  Although the Hezbollah flags seemed not in evidence in Toronto this year, they featured large in Tehran.

"Imagine, for instance, a neo-Nazi group, the Klu Klux Klan or an anti-gay group coming to the grounds of the legislature the year before.  Let's say it's an anti-gay group proclaiming gay people are behind all the injustice in the world ...  Is there a chance the same group would be permitted to use the grounds again?  Not a chance.  We feel there's a double standard here", expostulated Howard English, senior vice-president at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

Toronto-based defence lawyer Sayeh Hassan, along with fellow pro-democracy Iranian Canadians set themselves up to appear at the anti-Zionist rally to counter the "hate rally".  "I don't think this sort of thing has any place on Canadian government space.  If they want to have a rally, go have it somewhere else - not somewhere that's a symbol of our Canadian democratic values."