The protests usually occurred at real estate sales which happened in community centers and less often in synagogues. There was nothing inherently anti-Semitic about these protests
“We weren’t there because it’s a synagogue, we were there because we were protesting against a real estate show,” said Ghada Sasa, who was at the protest over the weekend.
The UN, alongside Canada, consider Israeli settlements in the occupied territories to be in violation of international convention,
However under this new legislation, these protests are hate crimes because they occur near religious or cultural centers where the occupants constitute an identifiable minority.
This doesn’t help stop bomb threats or 99% of the 4800 hate crimes per year that happen in Canada. It just protects Zionists.
I wish I shared your optimistic view of this theoretical exemption. “Lawful protest” is already a trap word thanks to the last 30 years of anti protest laws. Police can declare any protest unlawful based on vague laws, then suddenly you’re guilty of the new hate crime. Many municipalities require protest paths in order to qualify as lawful. This law can be used as an excuse for the municipality to reject the plan and move you to a place where protesting is pointless. Here is a straightforward guide to your rights and the limitations commonly used to regulate, restrict, and extinguish lawful protest: https://lawshun.com/article/what-is-a-lawful-protest-in-canada
We already have hate crime laws. They’re effective. The only thing that’s ineffective is that police never want to investigate to find the people committing hate crimes, calling in bomb threats, vandalizing with hateful messages. This is 90% of the hate crime problem. This law does NOTHING to help identify and indict people who commit hate crimes.
So the only question left is what existing group of people who weren’t targetable by existing hate crime laws can be targeted with these laws. And the answer is pretty straightforward: people who protest the genocide in Gaza. And I’m sure other groups will be targeted.
The literal meaning of the law disclosed by the coverage only emphasizes the prohibition of blocking the access to a religious or community center. That’s what’s added. If they are still using the word “hatred”, it won’t include more groups unless they have this overt action.
Conversely, I concur that the police’s response to hate crimes has been severely inadequate.
Moreover, while the lawfulness of a protest will not be changed by the law if the protesters don’t block the access, the right to protest is disproportionally restricted by the existing legal system.
What you’re missing, is that like the Toronto anti protest law, this law is meant to stop people protesting genocide and ethnic cleaning.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/real-estate-thornhill-event-1.7133251
The protests usually occurred at real estate sales which happened in community centers and less often in synagogues. There was nothing inherently anti-Semitic about these protests
However under this new legislation, these protests are hate crimes because they occur near religious or cultural centers where the occupants constitute an identifiable minority.
This doesn’t help stop bomb threats or 99% of the 4800 hate crimes per year that happen in Canada. It just protects Zionists.
Although the exact wording hasn’t been released, the news coverage says
So unlike the Ontario one, it seems that protests are not prohibited?
I wish I shared your optimistic view of this theoretical exemption. “Lawful protest” is already a trap word thanks to the last 30 years of anti protest laws. Police can declare any protest unlawful based on vague laws, then suddenly you’re guilty of the new hate crime. Many municipalities require protest paths in order to qualify as lawful. This law can be used as an excuse for the municipality to reject the plan and move you to a place where protesting is pointless. Here is a straightforward guide to your rights and the limitations commonly used to regulate, restrict, and extinguish lawful protest: https://lawshun.com/article/what-is-a-lawful-protest-in-canada
We already have hate crime laws. They’re effective. The only thing that’s ineffective is that police never want to investigate to find the people committing hate crimes, calling in bomb threats, vandalizing with hateful messages. This is 90% of the hate crime problem. This law does NOTHING to help identify and indict people who commit hate crimes.
So the only question left is what existing group of people who weren’t targetable by existing hate crime laws can be targeted with these laws. And the answer is pretty straightforward: people who protest the genocide in Gaza. And I’m sure other groups will be targeted.
The literal meaning of the law disclosed by the coverage only emphasizes the prohibition of blocking the access to a religious or community center. That’s what’s added. If they are still using the word “hatred”, it won’t include more groups unless they have this overt action.
Conversely, I concur that the police’s response to hate crimes has been severely inadequate.
Moreover, while the lawfulness of a protest will not be changed by the law if the protesters don’t block the access, the right to protest is disproportionally restricted by the existing legal system.