The ICCA Conference in Ottawa, Canada has taken place. The Ottawa protocol which was agreed can be found here. Further media reports of the conference can be seen on our press page here. Also, if you follow the APPG Against Antisemitism on twitter you can see a number of tweets sent live from the conference. Videos can be seen on the youtube channel here and of CTV powerplay here. Photos care of cjc.ca here.
A message to the conference from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair follows:
“Scapegoating and stereotyping have long been at the heart of discrimination – and some of its vilest forms have been seen in antisemitic words and acts.
“Antisemitism is the oldest hatred. We are all rightly shocked by the statistics which show that the last decade has seen an increase in violence against Jews in Europe: arson at Jewish schools, vandalism and desecration of synagogues and cemeteries, as well as attacks and verbal abuse of individuals.
“These acts are offensive not just to Jews but to all supporters of religious freedom and tolerance worldwide. That is why we need to take on the narrative which seeks to play down the significance of these incidents, that say it is the fault of the policies of ‘the West’ in the Middle East, or that somehow tries to justify them by citing some supposed policy criticism or other of the Government of Israel.
“Let me state this as clearly as I can: there can be legitimate criticisms of Israeli policy, but there can never be any justification for antisemitism. Every attack, every insult, every piece of graffiti shames us all. And every time they must be challenged, confronted and defeated.
“In my work now as Quartet Representative I spend a lot of my time in the Middle East, where President Obama, Secretary Clinton and all of us are working to push the Middle East Peace Process forward. But let us be firm about the basis of such a plan. A viable state of Palestine that offers the Palestinian people the dignity and justice of statehood. A secure state of Israel because Israel’s security is not a strategic interest only for Israelis but for every one of us.
“It is not the source of extremism or discrimination, but progress there would undoubtedly send a powerful signal to the world of the universal values of freedom, justice and tolerance we hold dear.
“Finally, I would like to pay tribute to John Mann MP who has been a tireless campaigner against antisemitism. This conference in Ottawa builds on his pioneering work of the London declaration and establishment of the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition Against Antisemitism.
“The UK Parliament was right to pioneer this work but none of us have all the answers so I hope this conference give a renewed focus to the work that still must be done to reduce hate crime on our streets and discrimination in our schools.
“The endeavour that you as Parliamentarians are engaged in is vital to the ongoing efforts to educate policy makers and combat antisemitism through the spread of international best practice. I know you will go back to your home countries with a renewed determination to ensure we tackle the scourge of antisemitism and I thank you for your commitment.”
