City of Ottawa Faces Criticism for Abandoning Israeli Flag Raising Ceremony

City of Ottawa Faces Criticism for Abandoning Israeli Flag Raising Ceremony
Canadian and Israeli flags fly in Ottawa on Oct. 11, 2023. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
Chris Tomlinson
Updated:
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Jewish advocates and politicians have criticized the City of Ottawa for cancelling an Israeli flag-raising ceremony after the city deemed the event could be a “substantial risk to public safety.”
B'nai Brith Canada spoke out on social media saying it was “deeply troubled” by the cancellation of the ceremony.

“Jewish individuals should not be further ostracized because of the threat posed by nefarious radicals,” the group said in a May 7 post on platform X. “It is the rogues who are creating division in our society. Capitulating to their threatening behaviour will only further embolden them.”

The flag raising event has happened every year in Ottawa since 2007 and is done to mark the Israeli day of Independence, also known as Yom Ha’atzmaut, which originally took place in 1948.

According to the city, the flag raising would not be held this year due to safety concerns.

“This decision is based on recent intelligence that suggests hosting a public ceremony poses a substantial risk to public safety,” the city said in a statement.

The Epoch Times contacted Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe for comment on the Jewish community’s reaction to the flag raising cancellation, but did not receive a reply by publication time.

Mr. Sutcliffe previously said he was disappointed by the decision, blaming escalating “threats and hostility” toward the Jewish community in a social-media post.

“The Jewish community is a vital and important part of our city,” Mayor Sutcliffe wrote.  “Members of Ottawa’s Jewish community have faced a significant increase in anti-Semitism, threats, and hostility in the past seven months.”

Canadian diplomat and Special Envoy for Preserving Holocaust Remembrance & Combatting Antisemitism Deborah Lyons was also critical of the decision.

“While we thank law and intelligence officers for their diligence, it should never have come to this. Jewish Canadians are unable to live full and flourishing lives out of genuine risk for their safety,” she said on X.

“Limiting Jewish participation in Canadian life due to the threat of violence is not acceptable to the vast majority of this country. All levels of leadership must take action to ensure Jewish Canadians are free to live as Jewish Canadians.”

Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman called the cancellation of the ceremony, “a clear win for the masked mob, this time in our national capital.”

“Cowardice to stand up to them is a stain on this city [and] a deeply troubling departure from a longstanding ceremony,” she said on X.

Liberal MP Antony Housefather was also critical of the cancellation saying, “I am very disappointed in the decision made by the City of Ottawa. Nobody should be allowed to scare people into cancelling an Israel Independence Ceremony. Add security, take precautions. Do not simply cancel the event.”
The move by the City of Ottawa comes as a pro-Palestine encampment, which was set up late last month, continues at the University of Ottawa. Social media posts suggested that some of those at the camp may have tried to interrupt or shut down the flag-raising.
The group Ottawa4Palestine stated last week on social media it intended to “shut down” the event.
The Canadian Press contributed to this article.