Harper administration wants to charge boycotts of Israel with "hate crimes"

[Jeremy]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ott...es-against-those-who-boycott-israel-1.3067497

The Harper government is signalling its intention to use hate crime laws against Canadian advocacy groups that encourage boycotts of Israel.

Such a move could target a range of civil society organizations, from the United Church of Canada and the Canadian Quakers to campus protest groups and labour unions.

If carried out, it would be a remarkably aggressive tactic, and another measure of the Conservative government's lockstep support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

While the federal government certainly has the authority to assign priorities, such as pursuing certain types of hate speech, to the RCMP, any resulting prosecution would require an assent from a provincial attorney general.

And it would almost certainly be challenged under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, civil liberties groups say.

The government's intention was made clear in a response to inquiries from CBC News about statements by federal ministers of a "zero tolerance" approach to groups participating in a loose coalition called Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS), which was begun in 2006 at the request of Palestinian non-governmental organizations.

Asked to explain what zero tolerance means, and what is being done to enforce it, a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney replied, four days later, with a detailed list of Canada's updated hate laws, noting that Canada has one of the most comprehensive sets of such laws "anywhere in the world."

...

 

[Ronin Truth]

How about pleading down to the "don't really care too much for" boycott crimes?

 

[presence]

As long as we can still cheer "fuck the iranians and north koreans!" then we're free.

 

[enhanced_deficit]

Church vs bankers puppet politicians.. would be interesting.


Canada's largest Church joins boycott Israel campaign

 

[Mach]

Now you see what hate-crime laws are really for.....

 

[enhanced_deficit]

On the other hand, Canada has been facing tricky problems in recent years.

Train Derail carrying fuel Quebec

Canada terror plot suspect argued he was a stateless Palestinian to avoid deportation
Raed Jaser, who was arrested in Canada for an alleged plot to derail a train, was served a deportation order in 2004 after being convicted on various charges; a court deferred the warrant after Jaser claimed he was 'Palestinian by blood' and had no rights in the UAE, where he was born.
Apr. 27, 2013
http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/ca...ation-1.517830

 

[William Tell]

Outlawing boycotting Israel will make people hate Israel. Its kind of funny really.

 

[enter`name`here]

recent media coverage has the government denying all of this.http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/t...rime-laws-against-israel-boycotters-1.3069723

Seems to contradict earlier statement. Maybe they are testing the water for the public response? The governments position is clear as mud, and as this story will probably get forgotten i imagine it will remain so. this is a clear example of why i dont like "hate speech" laws.