The Jewish Community Council is saddened at Mayor Valerie Plante’s decision not to vote on a motion calling on the city to recognize the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of anti- semitism.
Montreal City Council was set to vote on a motion yesterday, presented by Lionel Perez, Leader of Official Opposition, asking the city to adopt the operational definition of anti-Semitism of the International Alliance for the Memory of the Holocaust (IHRA).
The date of the motion coincided with the celebration of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. The debate was postponed until the evening.
However, during the debate, Mayor Plante proposed to refer the motion to the Council Presidency Commission, suggesting that the City of Montreal develop its own definition of anti-Semitism. Mr. Perez rejected the proposal and withdrew the motion.
IHRA has the most widely accepted definition of anti-Semitism. By pushing off the vote, Madame Plante has kept the resurgence of anti-Semitism alive. Dozens of countries, including our own, have adopted this fundamental weapon to help bolster the battle of anti-Semitism.
We laud Mr. Perez who stood his ground and refused to review or reform the IHRA definition, which would have been not done by those with proficiency in the matter.
