Strange Admixture ... Environmentalism and Anti-Semitism

"The Green Party is self-destructing by focusing on Jews and allowing anti-Semitism and discrimination to thrive."

"What we are witnessing appears to be the Green Party's continued effort to exclude Jewish Canadians who are unwilling to check important aspects of their Jewish identify at the door."

"Expelling a party president and now attempting to expel a party leader in regards to a conflict a world away whose implications on the Canadian environmental stage are minimal would seem bizarre and overkill, except that the conflict in question deals with the Jewish state of Israel."

Former Green Party President Paul Estrin

Green Party Leader Annamie Paul listens to a reporter's question at a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

"Palestinians are suffering, Israelis are also suffering as well as their loved ones in Canada and around the world."

"I regret if my choice of words caused harm to those who are suffering."

 Former New Brunswick Green MP Jenica Atwin

Less than a year ago the Green Party of Canada elected a new leader when its long-time leader, Elizabeth May, decided she would step down and let new blood and new passions for the environment lead the party she started. The party made headlines when it became the first in Canada to elect a woman as leader. Not merely a woman, but a Black woman. A Black woman who is also Jewish. A whole boatload of 'firsts', which they proudly put on display until Annamie Paul demonstrated an inability to separate her Jewishness from her environmental credentials.

During the Israel-Hamas conflict she issued an official comment as leader of the Green Party, regretting the conflict. Without condemning Israel as the aggressor, as evidently expected. Infuriating several Green Party members who quickly 'corrected' their leader. One of whom was Jenica Atwin who tweeted  Israel was guilty of "unthinkable" aggression as an "apartheid state". An apartheid state with 20 percent Palestinian Arab citizenship and Arab members of the Knesset; unthinkable to react militarily when it was attacked by Hamas in Gaza with a barrage of thousands of rockets.

Annamie Paul's Green Party adviser Noah Zatzman responded with a Facebook post accusing some Green Party members of anti-Semitism and bigoted MPs in Parliament in general to be defeated at the polls. Atwin soon departed the Greens to join the ruling Liberal Party of Canada where she was guided to a gentler declaration of sympathy for both Israelis and Palestinians in the conflict, deep-ditching her clear anti-Semitism to reflect the Liberal Party opacity on the topic. 

A clique in the Green Party led by its former leader, Elizabeth May, rid the party of the troublesome Noah Zatzman, mourned the loss of Atwin, fired their Jewish president sympathetic to Israel, and laid off their leader Annamie Paul's office staff in the interests of budgetary measures, at the same time denying her the required funding to run a campaign for a seat in Parliament at the upcoming federal election. Then went on to organize a leadership review after demanding she condemn her former adviser Zatzman, which she refused to do.

Annamie Paul proved too much a woman of passionate conviction and loyalty, perhaps not quite Black enough, and too obviously Jewish. Mourning the loss of Atwin who had criticized Paul for her pro-Israel stance, the leading lights of the Green Party who saw fit to give environmental concerns second place to condemning Israel for defending itself now seem quite determined to 'persuade' Annamie Paul that the leadership of the Green Party is not, after all, a good fit for her. On her part, she disagrees.

She has increased membership under her leadership and increased fundraising as well substantially from the year before. Elizabeth May, who seems incapable of surrendering her authority over the party, and equally unable to accept that it was her decision to step down, and do the right thing by supporting the new leader as she was supported by the members during her time as leader, refuses to publicly commit herself to stating her position on Paul's leadership.

She does insist, however, that the new leader apologize to Atwin who left the Green Party for greener fields in the governing Liberal Party. She issued a joint statement with another MP who cast blame on Ms. Paul's assistant, Zatzman for 'forcing' Ms.Atwin to cross the floor (even though it was revealed that Atwin was in discussion with the Liberals far prior to this event on leaving the Greens for the Liberals). 

 

"We are heartbroken at the loss of our dear colleague Jenica Atwin from the caucus. Unfortunately, the attack against Ms.Atwin by the Green Party leader's chief spokesperson on May 14 created the conditions that led to this crisis." And Elizabeth May, the past leader, has called on the current leader to apologize to Atwin. Obviously, fully in agreement with Atwin's anti-Israel, anti-Semitic attitudes. 

Pity, that.

"We see that we have candidates that are ready to get going and none of us need this distraction, so I'm certainly hoping that this is the end of this," 

 "I hope people will continue to support me. I hope I will be given the opportunity to serve and that's really what this is about,"  

"I want to lead us into the next election. I want to offer my service to our members and to Canada and I'm hoping that those that feel otherwise will wait until a more appropriate time to make a move." 

"It was very hard and remained very hard to be stripped of many of the tools that I need to be an effective leader," 

"This has been incredibly painful for me and for my family and I want to be upfront about that,"

"It is extremely hard to have your integrity questioned when you value it so much. It's extremely hard to have your commitment to human rights and social justice questioned."  

"The reason that I haven't [resigned] is because it should not be this difficult. It should not be this difficult for people of good will, people with experience, to offer it in service to their country."  

"There are too many good people that have found it impossible and I simply didn't want to be one of them." 

Annamie Paul, Leader, Green Party of Canada 

Green Party Leader Annamie Paul told reporters in Toronto Monday that she hopes those in the party who do not like her leadership can "wait until a more appropriate time" to challenge her. (CBC)