|
|
Feb. 3, 2006
Election loser blames Jews
Tory supporter's tirade brings Jewish, Conservative condemnation.
PAT JOHNSON
A stunning anti-Semitic tirade by a former Conservative party campaign
manager has created a unified front among the Jewish community and
Conservative party activists, who condemned the Richmond Tory's
remarks as stereotypical anti-Jewish conspiracy theories.
Robbie Robertson, the former campaign manager for Richmond Conservative
candidate Darrel Reid, told the Richmond News after Reid's
defeat that Jewish-owned media were responsible for his candidate's
loss.
"The CanWest Global media empire is controlled by a Jewish
family [the Aspers] and they have been the most aggressive family
to attack Christians, especially Conservative Christians,"
Robertson told the News. "[This is] a family that fought
against persecution and here they are putting their scribes on Christian
candidates. That's something they fought against. Then it's OK for
them to do it."
Reid, a former operative in the Canadian branch of the right-wing
American Christian movement Focus on the Family, was one of a number
of Conservative party candidates with close ties to religious fundamentalism.
He was defeated by Liberal MP Raymond Chan, the outgoing minister
of state responsible for multiculturalism.
Just a few days before the election, Temple Sholom Rabbi Philip
Bregman, along with a Muslim imam and a Christian clergyman, held
a news conference to express concern about Reid's apparent attempt
to blur the lines between religion and government.
Chan himself is a practising Christian, but underscored in a statement
released last Friday his belief that "no person of any religion
has the right to use the power of the state to impose one particular
religious viewpoint onto anyone else."
Reid was unequivocal in his condemnation of his former manager's
words.
"I totally reject those comments that he made," said Reid.
"They are totally inappropriate. There is no place in our multicultural,
tolerant society for the kind of anti-Semitic comments that were
made by him.... On the Israel issue and on the whole issue of anti-Semitism,
I am obviously concerned that we, as a culture, respect people for
who they are. There's no place for that kind of comment in our culture."
Reid said Robertson left the campaign several weeks before election
day.
"We basically replaced him," Reid said. "He had taken
a leave for medical purposes and had some issues. We had to replace
him with some people to actually move the organization ahead. When
you're in an election, you have to have people who are there and
with it and so we had to make that change."
Robertson's comments, he said, came as a "total shock to us."
Reid said Robertson was recommended to his campaign as a talented
veteran organizer.
"He came to us highly recommended in the sense that, in years
past, he had been heavily involved in Social Credit campaigns,"
Reid said. "[He] came to us recommended as a highly capable
campaigner. As the campaign moved on, we just found that we had
to make a change."
The two men are not in direct communication, said Reid.
"We're not speaking at this point. We're speaking through lawyers.
There hasn't been a lot of conversation since election day."
Robertson's outburst was a dark lining in the Conservatives' silver
cloud. The party won a minority government in the Jan. 23 election
and party leader Stephen Harper is set to be sworn in as prime minister
on Feb. 6.
Howard Jampolsky, a member of the Jewish community who lost the
Conservative nomination in Richmond to Reid by six votes, has provided
a bridge between the Jewish community and the Conservative party
over this incident.
Jampolsky spoke with senior Conservative party officials in Ottawa,
who promised to strip Robertson of his party membership, but it
turns out that Robertson is not a party member. He is, nevertheless,
according to Jampolsky, "officially persona non grata in the
Conservative party."
Jampolsky, who is also a regional board member of Canadian Jewish
Congress, said he was shocked by Robertson's comments.
"It was a bit surprising that people would not only say that,
but say it in a quotable way to a reporter. It was really shocking,"
said Jampolsky. "To see someone basically blaming the Jewish-controlled
media - my first thought was, 'This guy is nuts. He's a madman.'
"
But Jampolsky said he was reassured by the party's swift reaction
to the situation.
"I was really proud of the way the party handled this particular
incident," he said.
Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) issued a strongly worded condemnation
of Robertson's words.
"CanWest, which has shown an understanding of and a sensitivity
to Christian points of view can well defend itself against such
scurrilous charges," said CJC Pacific Region (CJCPR) chair
Mark Weintraub in a news release. "I am particularly dismayed
that someone participating in the democratic process would purvey
libellous lies that are so hurtful to the Jewish community and undermine
Canada's values of inter-group understanding and respect."
Weintraub said Robertson's comments do not reflect the reality of
intercultural relations.
"Robertson's statements feed off ugly, anti-Semitic conspiracy
theories and show an appalling ignorance of the very positive state
of Christian-Jewish relations in Canada today," Weintraub said,
adding: "CJCPR is gratified that Mr. Reid, numerous of his
supporters and [the] Conservative party leadership have forcefully
repudiated and condemned Robertson's remarks."
Weintraub concluded that "Canadians must be mindful that the
type of single-minded, pathological obsession with Jews shown by
Robertson has long historical precedent and only continual education
and advocacy will keep it suppressed."
Observers are watching to see how Harper will manage the forces
within his party that were stifled during a smoothly run federal
election campaign. In addition to the occasional outburst of extremist
rhetoric like Robertson's, Harper will need to contend with a strong
faction of fundamentalist Christians and social conservatives whose
public statements on homosexuality, multiculturalism and the Charter
of Rights and Freedoms have occasionally caused consternation to
Harper and his predecessors.
Pat Johnson is editor of MVOX Multicultural Digest, www.mvox.ca.
^TOP
|
|
