In Defence of Denis Coderre
I was at that march for peace which was called (edit: by its detractors, not by its organizers) a “March Against Israel.” I will not lie. There were Hezbollah supporters among the crowd. The mass majority of the Lebanese people were there to demand an immediate end to hostilities which were, at the time, killing their friends and family.
I will re-iterate once again. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. They need to be disarmed. They need to be condemned for launching rockets into Israel.
Denis Coderre knew some of the crowd was hostile to his message. He knew he was marching for peace, as did Eleni Bakopanos, former candidate and avid Dion supporter. Stephane Dion’s national Youth Co-Chair Melissa Pierre was at the event as well, as was Brigitte Legault. Our common message was that we wanted peace in the Middle East.
Denis Coderre had the BALLS to go in front of that crowd and CONDEMN HEZBOLLAH for attacking Israel. The boos were fierce. My cheering was no competition for the chorus of boos that he received. Denis was there to march for peace, as were we. I refuse to be condemned for exercising my right to protest using cluster bombs in civilian areas. We do not use a cannon to kill a butterfly. My opinion will not change.
Associating the message of peace of that rally to the hatred of a small minority does injustice to the 20 000+ people who were there to stand for peace. Our voices should have been louder that day. It is a crying shame they were not.
While some are after Coderre’s head, I think it is completely unwarranted to do so. The organizers of the protest called for a demonstration for peace and several politicians heeded their call and showed solidarity. To say Denis Coderre is pro-Hezbollah is to completely ignore his bravery in facing that crowd. It is bad spin. It is lies. It is bull shit. So stop it.
I will re-iterate once again. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. They need to be disarmed. They need to be condemned for launching rockets into Israel.
Denis Coderre knew some of the crowd was hostile to his message. He knew he was marching for peace, as did Eleni Bakopanos, former candidate and avid Dion supporter. Stephane Dion’s national Youth Co-Chair Melissa Pierre was at the event as well, as was Brigitte Legault. Our common message was that we wanted peace in the Middle East.
Denis Coderre had the BALLS to go in front of that crowd and CONDEMN HEZBOLLAH for attacking Israel. The boos were fierce. My cheering was no competition for the chorus of boos that he received. Denis was there to march for peace, as were we. I refuse to be condemned for exercising my right to protest using cluster bombs in civilian areas. We do not use a cannon to kill a butterfly. My opinion will not change.
Associating the message of peace of that rally to the hatred of a small minority does injustice to the 20 000+ people who were there to stand for peace. Our voices should have been louder that day. It is a crying shame they were not.
While some are after Coderre’s head, I think it is completely unwarranted to do so. The organizers of the protest called for a demonstration for peace and several politicians heeded their call and showed solidarity. To say Denis Coderre is pro-Hezbollah is to completely ignore his bravery in facing that crowd. It is bad spin. It is lies. It is bull shit. So stop it.
par / by Anthony à / at 1:30 a.m.
9 Commentaires:
Doesn't it being called "The March Against Israel" serve as a tip that it's not the particular rally to join if your goal is simply peace?
You're right that the whole "So and So is pro-Hezbollah" argument is offbase and ridiculous, however getting up in front of the crowd to be booed does not excuse the foolishness of being there in the first place.
And if you don't think a peace rally could be held without it becoming an anti-Israel event, then maybe, just maybe, that says more about the nature of the conflict than anything else.
I think people who want to learn about "the nature of the conflict" and see where the anger comes from can start by visiting both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Gives you a good overview--but compares Israel with Hezbollah--which is oops...a terrorist organization.
The Hack,
The March wasn't called "March against Israel". Denis Coderre would never have attended a March against Israel.
There is no foolishness in going down in the street for a cease-fire.
A few extremists were there but that doesn't mean that the whole 15 000 people were all extremists. That's just spin to down Denis Coderre.
Alex
I was unaware that Coderre actually faced the crowd. I suppose that that detail was left out of media reports.
"MArch against Israel" is a message of Hate. He should not have been at a march entitled that, and it is not surprising that it was organized and attended by Hezbollah supporters. It was not called "March for Peace in the Middle East" He should be disciplined for being there and if he weren't anti-Israel he would not have been there in the first place.
Canada supports Israels right to exist. This march obviously did not. If you can't see that as anti-semetism then you have a problem antonio. How about him attending a really entitled, "March Against Same Sex Marriage." Would that be ok with you? Would that be homophobic?
Better yet how about a march called, "March against homosexuals". Just think about it for a minute Antonio. There is really no difference.
Grit Heart I did not know you were Denis's official spokesperson
Be it called March Against Israel or March for Peace, when it comes to the politics of that region smart politicians should be very careful. Remember the UN Conference Against Racism in Durban? Turned out to be the most racist public event imagineable...
Thank-you Grit Heart. I was going to say the same thing. Of course there are hate filled Jews. There are hate filled Christians. The difference is how they are treated in the societies and countries where they live. They are breaking the law and imprisonned in Israel. They are breaking the law and are imprisonned in the U.S. or Canada. Unfortunately in Palestine and Lebanon and Iran, not only are they not imprisonned, they are encouraged.
There is a difference. Very very few Jews would support these comments and the vast majority are disgusted by them. These people are radical fringe elements within Judeism. When was the last time a radical hate filled Iman was imprissoned by his own country in the Middle East for spewing hatred?
YL it's not kindergarden. It's politics. It is not your right to tell people what they should and should not do. Quoting Warren Kinsella to demonstrate your point about everyone playing nice proves you know little of what you speak.
Post a Comment
<< Home