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by Dion J. Pierre
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo: Reuters/Chris Wattie.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that his administration will investigate why a $130,000 government contract was awarded to an “antiracism” organization that employed a worker with a history of making antisemitic comments, National Post reported on Wednesday.
Trudeau made the remarks Tuesday as he addressed the defunding of Community Media Advocacy Center (CMAC), an action taken last month by the Canadian Government after a review of antisemitic tweets by its employee, Laith Marouf.
In his posts, Marouf described Jews as “loud mouthed bags of human feces” and vowed to expel them from Israel.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that federal dollars have gone to this organization that has demonstrated xenophobia, racism, and antisemitism,” Trudeau said. “We cannot accept racism, hatred, and anger, particularly not funded by the government, and that’s why we took action quickly.”
He continued, “We are absolutely in the process of doing a complete review of any dollars the organization might be receiving, not just for this grant but also looking further to ensure no government money funds hate.”
In a statement welcoming the announcement, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) on Tuesday said, “We’re pleased Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken out, affirming the [government] is undertaking a full review to ensure CMAC is no longer getting any funding an no individual or group that expresses hateful view will ever be funded again.”
Canadian parliamentarians have commented on the revelations about Laith Marouf and the money granted to CMAC over the past several weeks.
“Laith Marouf’s comments are vile, racist & antisemitic,” MP Taleeb Noormohamed tweeted one day before CMAC was defunded. “They’re wrong by any measure, and particularly for someone that’s supposed to be working to help eliminate racism from broadcasting.”
On Tuesday, however, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) CEO Michael Levitt said he is “utterly disheartened” that more Liberal Party members haven’t issued statements condemning Marouf’s hateful tirades.
“Taking a stand against antisemitism should be a given & yet so few of my Liberal colleagues have done so,” he continued. “This truly hurts. Jewish MPs shouldn’t be left to call this out alone.”
According to National Post, CMAC responded to its defunding by assailing the “mainstream media,” which it called “powerful tools of white supremacy.”
