A Canadian legal association under fire for canceling the next speech of a Syrian Canadian businessman on his position on Gaza says he will cancel the event completely.
The Defensores Society said a statement on Thursday that “he faced a time when our leaders were tested in the application of our central values, and at that time Tas fell short.”
“We sincerely apologize to all our members who have been forced to feel unpleasant for the decisions we make around the final dinner of the term,” he said.
“Our decisions are especially problematic when antipalestine, anti -Semitic and Islamophobic racism is a reality and where the impacts of global conflicts feel intensely by our members here in Canada.”
The measure occurs after the growing call for the organization to cancel its next event in June, where Tareq Hadhad would speak, and many members finished their memberships about what they saw as an invasion of various thoughts and freedom of expression. Past Tas President Marie HeneinDanielle Robitaille, Arleen Huggins And Megan Savard They were among those who withdrew from the organization following the measure.
At least two high -ranking members of the organization also renounced The Executive and the Board of Directors of the Group on the Decision: Sheree Conlon, who should be the incoming president of the group, and Sheila Gibb, his treasurer.
Both said that Hadhad was unfairly arrested to a standard that others were not after the complaints appeared for their online characterization of Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide, without an apparent conviction of Hamas or hostage publications taken after Hamas attack on October 7 against Israel.
The main human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have already argued that Israel’s actions are equivalent to genocide.
The International Court of Justice also ordered Israel to take all measures to avoid any act contrary to the 1948 genocide convention in its war in Gaza, and the International Criminal Court has issued arrest orders for specific Israeli officials for war crimes. Israel has vehemently denied those charges.
Jonathan lawyer Lisus He was among those who wrote to the organization to mark what he described as Hadhad’s “Unilateral view” of the conflict.
“Sadly, Mr. Hadhad’s The registration of public statements presents a solid case that, although it expresses a concern understandable for civil deaths in Gaza, is not sympathetic and certainly indifferent, due to damage and suffering of the Jewish people and the Jewish state, “he wrote in a letter dated March 15.
In his statement on Thursday, Tas said that “it undertakes to ensure that their policies and decisions protect their members and staff. Tas must be a safe, respectful and cozy environment for all.”
‘An error of his own creation’
In reaction to the news, the Canadian Association of Muslim lawyers, which first raised the alarms for the group’s decision at the end of last month, said the decision to cancel the event was the “responsible action course.”
“However, it is difficult to congratulate the TA for simply undoing an error of their own creation. The invitation should never have been revoked,” said the president of the CMLA, Husein Panju.
“This incident also confirms the experience of our members that racialized communities continue to face systemic barriers and double ratings, particularly when they talk about social justice issues. Those who advocate for the Palestinian life, in particular, are being silenced so that others are not,” said Panju.
The lawyer Muneza Sheikh was also among those who requested that the event be canceled.
“The defenders’ society did the right thing, without a doubt after doing wrong,” he said Thursday.
“This process has made it clear that several high -level lawyers within society were not consulted regarding the elimination of Mr. Hadhad as the key note. That is problematic and requires a serious investigation into the problem,” Sheikh said.
“We want to see a restart. We want to see diversity on the board. We want to see an independent review. We want to see the change.”
