OTTAWA, Tuesday, November 15, 2022 (WAFA) – The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) sent a letter to Vancouver City Council to express grave concerns regarding the ABC campaign promise to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.

“UBCIC staunchly opposes antisemitism and is ardently committed to combatting all forms of racism, prejudice, and violence. We cannot support the IHRA definition and accompanying list of illustrative examples of antisemitism; the vague IHRA definition conflates criticism of the state of Israel with antisemitism and thereby limits freedom of expression and Canadians’ right to public protest, including against Israeli state policies, violations of international law, and violent oppression of Indigenous Palestinians,” read the letter.

“Should Vancouver City Council adopt the IHRA definition, human rights advocates standing against such injustice could be falsely denounced for antisemitism, it added.

"We do not condone protecting Israel from criticism in relation to its settler colonial policies and mistreatment of Palestinians, said the letter, calling on Mayor-Elect Sim and incoming Vancouver City Council members, to live up to Vancouver’s commitment to the UN declaration, its recent adoption of a ground-breaking UNDRIP Strategy and Task Force, and its designation as a City of Reconciliation. Adoption of the IHRA definition stands in direct opposition to these commitments," the letter stated.

Many other organizations are on record in opposition to the IHRA definition of antisemitism including the BC Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, and 40 faculty associations across the country as well as 40 international Jewish organizations, said the letter.

T.R.