Doodledream

🇨🇦🇮🇱‼️ Apoligize (and resign!) for exercesing her Charter right of thought, belief, opinion, and, expression!? Those who disagree with @oliviachow’s characterization of Israel’s military conduct in Gaza over the past two years, have every right to disagree with her opinion, as she has the very same right to express it. Denying her that exercise is an attack on free speech, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Canadian Constitution. It’s an attack on Canada. I personally dislike it when I have to reduce it to a left-centrist-right political debate, but the reality is that the political right is the first one to cry foul in defence of free speech whenever they perceive - falsely or otherwise - an attempt to curtail it from opposing ends of the political spectrum. There is no shortage of the attacks from the right on the so-called “woke”factor for example, using it as a pejorative label to disparage progressive movements and ideas. Anti-woke campaigners often frame themselves as "free-speech warriors" fighting against what they perceive as an authoritarian "woke agenda" that seeks to control language and suppress dissenting conservative viewpoints in institutions like universities and corporations. Notwithstanding that being “woke” is generally meant being aware of systemic social inequalities and injustices, particularly concerning race, and calling for change. It’s about facing the truth and doing something to fix it. This is the same political grouping - including this opportunistic city councillor referenced here, who is hoping to consolidate the support from the right in his second bid to become mayor of Toronto in October 2026 - which is not shy to curtail, shame, and even call for resignations, if anyone else - including from the political left in the Toronto mayor’s example - expresses a differing opinion. What happened to “free speech!?” Being able to exercise the right of expression and criticize another country’s government, or asses the conduct of its military operation as an “x, y, or z,” does not - cannot - mean that that this individual should be automatically labelled as antisemitic - in the context of Israel - or Islamophobic - in the context of any Arab or Muslim-majority government in the world. It is true that for some among us, lambasting Israel - or an Arab state respectively - is an extension of their own hate-motivated antisemitic and Islamophobic respective views. However, tarring everyone with the same brush does disservice to the fight against antisemitism and Islamophobia. It’s counterproductive. I can criticize the Government of Canada on an issue and can be the biggest patriot this country has seen (I’d have to make a lot more sacrifices to earn that specific sweet spot). I should be able to criticize the Government of Israel and still continue to admire and respect the people and the state of Israel. I should be able to criticize the Palestinian Authority and still continue to admire and respect the Palestinian people and the legal self-government body governing the West Bank (Gaza’s governance is contested and fragmented due to the recent war and the significant weakening of Hamas's central command structure, while international efforts are underway to establish a transitional governing body).  As somebody who self-identifies with the political centre, I find it at times fascinating observing the debate involving a complex interplay of competing views on the purpose and limits of free expression. Both sides have been accused of using censorious tactics when it benefits their political position, leading to a "vicious cycle" in the culture war where valid concerns about free speech are sometimes used for political gain or to dismiss the concerns of the other side. This latest outcry is the latest perfect example. We can all do better! #cdnpoli #onpoli #TOpoli #OliviaChow #Toronto #Torontomayor #Israel #IsraelGaza #IsraelGazawar #genocide #freespeech

A shrine for senior IRGC members was setup at the Vancouver Public Library @VPL Not even the libraries funded by tax payer dollars are safe from terrorist glorification. There is zero point of having terrorist organization designations in Canada.