JDL Boasts of Pulling Strings

I can’t improve on the very first letter to this story in the Toronto Star recapping the shameful Galloway Affair in light of the Jewish Defence League actually bragging about their influence in having a Palestinian supporter and strident critic of Israeli policies absurdly deemed to be a “terrorist” and prevented from entering the country to address Canadian peace activists.

Jason Kenney said: “But that border officer . . . makes what’s called a fresh decision. That border officer looks at all the information and makes a decision on admissibility.” Anyone who believes this man’s ridiculously fatuous statements is a few bricks short of a load. What these events suggest to me, rather, is that the worst elements of the most radical Jewish organizations in Canada now effectively control our Middle East foreign policy through their manipulation of dissemblers like Mr. Kenny, who, as Mr. Walkdom wrote the other day “has lost it”. And that should make the 99% of us they do not represent, including many Jews, very nervous.

As stated by Jamie Liew, one of Galloway’s lawyers, “The [Immigration and Refugee Protection Act] is being interpreted to restrict certain opinions and voices. This is a dangerous precedent in terms of how we grant access.” Indeed.

JDL Calling the Shots

In response to George Galloway’s vow that he will speak to supporters at the Canada-U.S. border and would address those in Canada who wanted to hear him “by other means,” Meir Weinstein, the national director of the Jewish Defence League Canada, stated that: “If he uses those other means, we will see to it that the Canadian government will be monitoring every individual and organization that will have anything to do with it.”

Speaking to Britain’s Channel 4 News, Weinstein expressed his determination to “uncover any proxy agents” — variously accused of being affiliated with Hamas, Hezbollah and “radical Iran ” — further indicating that “we will be looking into these organizations that invited him… their links to terror groups as well.”

It’s bad enough that the Harper Government cravenly bowed to pressure from the Jewish Defence League to have Galloway banned, but perhaps worse still that it’s now going to be spying on Canadian citizens and also conducting a witch hunt into the affairs of peace organizations at its behest.

Sucking Up to the JDL

Free speech trashed in favour of pandering to Jewish special interest group.

Oh gee, here’s a whopping surprise. Turns out that Meir Weinstein, the national director of the Jewish Defence League Canada wrote an open letter to the Harper government urging it to “do everything possible to keep this hater away from Canada.” Today, he told the NYT that he’s “very pleased,” by the government’s decision to bar Mr. Galloway. Yeah, I bet.

Meanwhile, Galloway plans on suing the government. That should be quite popcorn-worthy, I’m sure.

p.s. In case you were wondering, Kenney’s whiz-kid spokesthingee is in fact distantly related to CNN’s Ali Velshi.

Bonus Irony: Responding to questions from the British press, Velshi claimed that Galloway’s being prevented from entering the country has nothing to do with free speech, but is simply due to the fact that the Canadian Border Services Agency has determined (doubtless in connection with the Ministry of Public Safety) that the British MP is a “threat to national security” for reasons that aren’t entirely clear — presumably owing to his professed support for Hamas, which the government has deemed a “terrorist organization.” In this regard, with respect to the aforementioned JDL representative, it’s interesting to note that in its report, Terrorism 2000/2001, the FBI referred to the Jewish Defense League as a “violent extremist Jewish organization” and stated that the FBI was responsible for thwarting at least one of its terrorist acts. But of course, they pose no threat whatsoever to our “national security”…

Tories Ban “Infandous” Galloway

I’m sure we’ll be hearing howls of protest from the valiant defenders of free speech that populate the ranks of the Bloggin’ Tories about the Harper government banning British MP George Galloway from entering the country to speak at an anti-war event in Toronto on the grounds that he’s “infandous”… Seeing as the usual suspects worked themselves up into a lather of outrage over Britain denying Gert Wilders entry into that country because of his anti Muslim views, I’m sure they’ll be just as upset at this. I mean, it’s not like they’re all a bunch of two-faced, hypocritical slimebags or anything…

By the way, “infandous” is a pretty rich accusation coming from an odious prick like Jason Kenney, especially so given that just this week the Harper government reprehensibly flouted our own laws by allowing a suspected war criminal into the country to address a well-heeled audience of conservative supporters in Calgary.

Oh, and another thing… Doesn’t it seem more than a little odd that Galloway can speak before the U.S. Congress, but isn’t allowed entry into Canada?