THEIR IS NO ANTI-SEMITISM JUST ZIO-NAZI PROPAGANDA

 NOVANEWS

Dear Friends

I thank those individuals and organizations who have come forward on my

behalf. There is an important principle involved in this case and we

must fight the attempt to confuse criticism of Israel and defense of the

Palestinian human rights with anti-semitism. Anti-semitism like

Islamophobia and Homophobia and all other forms of discrimination must

be condemned.

 

I have now received 41 letters of support from Jewish academics and

activists. This includes a letter of support from  Independent Jewish

Voices ( Canada ), a United Jewish Peoples Order and from Not In Our Name

(NION). I have also received a support letter from 15 other prominent

activists and authors who are not Jewish. This includes a letter from a

Judge in Portugal .

 

As noted in my previous email I have also received letters of support

from the editors of Middle East Policy, Dissident Voice and of course

Jewish Outlook. I am expecting several more such letters from other

publishers. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)

have also written a powerful letter addressing the issue of

“anti-semitism” and Palestinian human rights.

 

I have distributed a statement of support from Israeli lawyer Henry

Lowi, Professor Noam Chomsky , a letter from The Editor of Outlook, and a

letter from Professor Norton Mezvinsky, Distinguished Connecticut State

University Professor of History (Emeritus) and President, International

Council for Middle East Studies, Washington , D.C.

 

Attached below is Professor Richard Falk’s letter of support. He is the

UN Special Rapporteur for Occupied Palestine and the Milbank Professor

of International Law Emeritus, Princeton University and since 2002

Visiting Distinguished Professor, Global Studies , University of

California at Santa Barbara

 

More letters are need to make an overwhelmingly strong legal case that

criticism of Israel or Zionism or defending Palestinian human rights is

not anti-semitic. I would like to have 50 letters of support written by

Jewish critics of Israel ‘s policies who do not equate criticism of

Israel‘s policies or of Zionism with anti-semitism.

 

As noted in my previous update I have now received the Defendant’s list

of witnesses.  The list includes the defendant; Clayton C. Ruby, a well

known Civil Liberties lawyer and member of the Law Union of Ontario;

Windsor Lawyer Victoria Cross also a member of the Law Union and who is

active with the NDP; and Winnipeg lawyer David Matas who is the senior

legal counsel of B’nai Brith Canada .

 

My witnesses include a leading Jewish academic, a prominent Jewish

activist and another prominent academic who has published a book

critiquing the so called “new anti-semitism” who have agreed to testify

on my behalf in the law suit. I have also approached a number of other

individuals to give testimony.

 

This case will be a precedent setting legal decision on the question “is

criticism of Israel or Zionism anti-Semitic.” With David Matas, and

B’nai Brith, weighing in on the case it is clear the Defense intend to

argue that other than trivial matters criticizing Israel is anti-Semitic.

 

In their Statement of Defense, in my opinion, they could not produce

anything of substance that indicated that I had written any articles or

said anything even remotely anti-semitic.

 

The vast majority of my articles published on the Israel-Palestine issue

has been quoting Jewish and Israeli authors in defense of Palestinian

human rights. Quoting Jewish writers can hardly be considered

anti-semitic. The rest of my published articles are on Immigration and

refugee issues or other political matters.

 

If this allegation of anti-semitism is not refuted in a libel action it

will stand against me in terms of my public and professional career. If

not withdrawn by the Defendant or deemed libelous and defamatory by the

Court the charge of anti-semitism can be leveled at any person who

criticizes Israel , or anyone who posts articles critical of Israel on a

list serve or who tries to publicly defend Palestinian human rights.

 

The charge of anti-semitism, as you all know, is the big stick that

right-wing Zionists and uncritical supporters of Israel ‘s government’s

policies use to suppress criticism of Israel and Zionism and attack

those who defend Palestinian human rights. Even Jews are attacked in

this manner or they are called self-hating Jews for supporting

Palestinian human rights.

 

Resources legal and financial are going to be very important in deciding

the outcome.  I have received $900 in contributions to help off set the

costs of the law suit and for bringing in expert witnesses to testify on

the subject of anti-antisemitism and Palestinian Human Rights. More

money has been promised.

 

Much more money will be needed to proceed with this law suit if it

proceeds to court and to win the legal battle and to establish a legal

precedent that criticism of Israel or Zionism is not anti-Semitic. It

will cost a great deal to pay for experts and professional legal

counsel. I am presently in discussions with a prominent legal counsel

about moving the case to a higher court.

 

I need more letters of support from Jewish academics and activists and

also from others concerned that criticism of Israel policies or

defending Palestinian human rights might be considered anti-Semitic.

 

If this legal battle is lost it will establish a most unfortunate legal

precedent that will be used to silence criticism of Israel and criticism

of Zionism in Canada and even beyond. It would be a disaster if

defending Palestinian human rights can be attacked as anti-Semitic. Both

electronic and signed hard copies of the letters would be appreciated.

If you send the letter electronically please put “Support Letter” in the

subject line as I am being bombarded by SPAM emails at the present time.

 

Donation of cash and other in kind support are also needed. Any money

raised will be allocated specifically to cover expenses related to this

case. Checks should be made out to Edward C. Corrigan and marked for

legal case and send to the below address.

 

If you would like more information on this subject especially to write a

support letter please do not hesitate to contact me. Found below is an

Interview I did for Stan Heller of the Struggle, a well known Jewish

peace activist. Please also read Professor Richard Falk’s letter of

support found below.

 

Edward C. Corrigan

Barrister & Solicitor

Certified Specialist in Citizenship and Immigration

and Immigration and Refugee Protection

383 Richmond Street, Suite 902

London, Ontario , Canada

N6A 3C4

(tel) 519-439-4015

(fax) 519-439-7657

Toll free 1-800-883-6217

 

web site www.edcorrigan.ca

 

Here is a link to an interview I did on October 26, 2011 with Stan

Heller with The Struggle.

 

http://tv.thestruggle.org/

 

permanently at

 

http://tv.thestruggle.org/node/496

 

I think it came out well

 

Stan Heller

Here is an electronic copy of Professor Falk’s letter of support.

 

September 14, 2011

 

To Whom it May Concern:

A LETTER IN SUPPORT OF EDWARD C. CORRIGAN

 

I am extremely sorry to hear that you are being unfairly and

outrageously attacked as an anti-Semite. To call you “one of Canada ‘s

worst anti-semites, and idiotic spammers” is, in my opinion, false and

defamatory.

 

To smear someone who speaks out on behalf of Palestinian human rights as

an anti-Semite is a frequent technique used by extremist Zionists, that

is, those who unconditionally support Israel and defame even the most

responsible critics by charging anti-semitism. I have been myself

targeted by these groups on frequent occasions. In my opinion it is also

a dangerously deceptive tactic to insist that all Jews must show their

total support of Israel and its policies or be labeled as enemies of the

Jewish people.

 

I have written elsewhere that in my opinion the Palestinians are among

the most victimized peoples in the world. Symbolically, the Palestinian

struggle is one that engages people of conscience everywhere in the

world in a manner that has similarities with the way the anti-apartheid

movement worked effectively to undermine South Africa ’s claims of

sovereignty and legitimacy.

 

I have met with and read many of Mr. Ed Corrigan ’s articles on Jewish

criticism of Zionism, on refugees and other international matters. I

have received many of his emails, many from the Israeli and Jewish

press. In my opinion there is nothing I have read in these articles or

emails that can in the remotest sense be regarded as anti-semitic by a

responsible and objective person.

 

The fact that this writing focuses on the many Israelis, and other Jews,

who criticize the policies of past and present Israeli government’s

treatment of the Palestinians actually provides a constructive

contribution to the Jewish community. It helps show the Arab and Muslim

world, and beyond this, the majority of people throughout the World,

that many Jews do not support the inhumane conditions officially imposed

on the Palestinians living as refugees or under occupation.

 

In my opinion Mr. Corrigan’s contribution to the discussion of the

Israel and Palestine issue is valuable, especially in helping people

understand that to be a Jew is not at all synonymous with being a

Zionist. I would go a step further and say that being a Zionist is far

from synonymous with endorsing the policies of the Israeli state. I have

had several controversies along these lines with Israeli diplomats and

others who want to blur these distinctions by invoking a catchall

‘anti-semitism’ as a response to any criticism of Israel.

 

It is important to resist a new wave of repressive efforts around the

issue of human rights for the Palestinians in North America. Norman

Finkelstein’s denial of tenure at DePaul and Joel Kovel who lost his

special professorship at Bard College comes to mind. They were attacked

even though both were well-published academics and Jewish. There are

many other cases were academic freedom and free speech has come under

assault and defenders of Palestinian human rights attacked with ugly

smear campaigns.

 

Former US President Jimmy Carter, former South African President Nelson

Mandela, Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, former Irish President Mary Robinson,

former Canadian Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbor, also a former UN

High Commissioner for Human Rights, and a former Chief Prosecutor of the

International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda

and since 2009 serving as President and CEO of the International Crisis

Group, South African apartheid expert John Dugard who served as Special

Rapporteur for the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and many

other prominent individuals, have been accused of being anti-semites for

defending Palestinian human rights. Even Judge Richard Goldstone, an

ardent Zionist, was accused of anti-semitism immediately after the

release of the Goldstone Report showed that Israel’s attack on Gaza at

the end of 2008 was carried out in violation of international criminal law.

 

Many Jews are also attacked as anti-semites, or since they are Jews, as

“self hating Jews,” including the most distinguished MIT professor and

world famous linguist, Noam Chomsky. All of these attacks are attempts

to suppress discussion of the Palestinian issue and to protect Israel

from justified criticism. It is a propaganda technique I have described

as the politics of deflection, attack the messenger to avoid addressing

the message.

 

In any event, I commend Mr. Corrigan’s willingness to put up a fight

against these attempts to silence him from speaking out or writing on

this most important human rights issue.

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Richard Falk

UN Special Rapporteur for Occupied Palestine.

Milbank Professor of International Law Emeritus, Princeton University

(since 2002) Visiting Distinguished Professor, Global Studies,

University of California at Santa Barbara