Niagara Palestine Coalition takes council to task for 'racism'

NEWS RELEASE
NIAGARA PALESTINE COALITION
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At Niagara Regional Council's March 21 meeting delegates from the Niagara Palestine Coalition criticized council for double standards in not lighting the “Niagara” sign in Palestinian colours and for anti-Palestinian racism.

The very same anti-Palestinian racism was demonstrated by Regional Chair Jim Bradley at the end of the meeting in off-agenda remarks justifying his decision to light the Region's “Niagara” sign in Israeli colours, “As a symbol of our solidarity with Israel, and Niagara’s Jewish residents” (Chair's October 11 statement).

At its March 6 Corporate Services Committee meeting staff said they would not be honouring requests from nearly 100 residents to light the Region's “Niagara” sign in Palestinian colours because they couldn't raise the Palestinian flag per the Region's policy of only raising flags of countries recognized by the Government of Canada.

However delegates pointed out that the Region's “Flag Raising and Niagara Sign Lighting Policy” (C-A-027) only requires this for flag raising, not lighting. Gabriel Gebril, a Palestinian-Canadian and the NPC Political Committee's spokesperson, said “Just as the Zionist regime weaponizes bureaucracy to prevent Palestinians from eating, this council is preventing Palestinians and their allies from having dignity in the political system.”

While Bradley said “Israel has embarked upon a war on Gaza,” Gebril pointed out that it's not a war but a genocide.

 “As of right now, Niagara has lit the HQ in the colours of a regime that has been found by the ICJ (International Court of Justice) as plausibly committing a genocide, but refuses to light in the colours of the people oppressed by said genocidal regime.” Gebril later said. “You cannot call it a war when it's mostly unarmed people killed, 31,988, more than any terrorist attack. It's not a coincidence that all the cities Chair Bradley listed as lighting in the colours of Israel are in colonizer countries and settler states.”

Munajat Najmudin of Niagara Falls said, “Our chair was immediately able to recognize and empathize with the Israelis in our community who have suffered in this conflict, but for the Palestinians? Month after month after month, utter silence. We didn't ask you to light the sign because we need something from you, we are asking you because we want our Regional Councillors and our Region to be able to make at least a symbolic gesture, a symbolic stand on the side of humanity.”

Najmudin asked for a moment of silence which was interrupted when Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop was heard saying “mockery,” later explaining he was referring to noise from the furniture. At the end of the meeting Bradley compared Hamas's Operation Al-Aqsa Flood to 9/11.

Saleh Waziruddin of St. Catharines said vilification of resistance to occupation, a right under international law, is part of anti-Palestinian racism, “The request to light the Niagara sign in the colours of Palestine is fully in accordance with the current lighting policy. There is only one reason for the reluctance to light the Niagara sign in the colours of Palestine. It is because some see Palestinians as dangerous, and see Palestinian resistance to occupation, something recognized as a legitimate right implicitly in the Geneva Conventions, as terrorism in one-sided war propaganda that has been widely debunked.”

Bradley earlier vilified Palestine supporters by comparing them to Jan. 6 Capitol rioters in a January radio interview. Waziruddin responded, “This is seen even in radio comments on CKTB 610 made by one of you comparing by allusion people like me to the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters, that's how much unreasonable fear there is here of anything to do with support for Palestine.

"This is racism. It's a specific kind of racism, anti-Palestinian racism.”

Referring to remarks to 2SLGBTQQIA+ residents immediately preceding the NPC delegations that “we see you, we support you” by Coun. Laura Ip, Chair of the Region's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee, Waziruddin said Palestinian residents and allies “do not feel seen or supported.”

NPC spokesperson Susan Howard-Azzeh said, “With frequent interruptions and disrespect towards delegates Regional council has yet again missed an opportunity to show compassion, sympathy and support to Niagara Palestinians and their allies who are mourning loved ones and friends who have been killed, injured, displaced, and starved by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza, Palestine.” 

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