Senior Israeli physicians on Friday addressed a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in which they slammed his "smear-by-association campaign portraying protesters as 'Nazi sympathizers,' 'racist' and 'antisemitic.'"

The letter reads:

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada
K1A 0A6
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,

As in many other countries since the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Canadians have been subjected to draconian restrictions placed on their basic freedoms, such as lockdowns, forced quarantines, mask mandates, school closures and more recently, vaccine mandates.

Leaders all over the world have begun to realize that these measures carry enormous harms, with little or no benefit. Others double-down on their previous position, denying the evidence and aggravating the damage done to their nation’s livelihood and fundamental liberties.

In recent weeks, we have been following the news about the Freedom Convoy 2022 protests that have taken place in Canada in response to these measures. We witnessed, with mounting concern, how instead of a constructive dialog with the protesters, you adopted a smear-by-association campaign, portraying the protesters as ‘Nazi sympathizers’, ‘racist’ and ‘antisemitic.’ The last incident was your allegation on February 16 that a Jewish member of the Conservative Party was “standing with people who wave Swastikas.”

We, an apolitical group of Jewish Israeli medical scientists, physicians, researchers and legal scholars, some of us second or third generation Holocaust survivors, are deeply concerned by your attempt to stigmatize the Freedom Convoy 2022 protesters as Nazi ideology supporters. The important fight against antisemitism should not be weaponized and directed at a legitimate civil protest which aims at restoring fundamental liberties, to what used to be, until not long ago, one of the freest countries in the world.

Sincerely,

Prof. Michael Levitt
Prof. Amos Adler
Prof. Shoshy Altuvia
Prof. Mira Barak
Prof. Zvi Bentwich
Prof. Rivka Carmi
Prof. Asher Elhayany
Prof. Zvika Granot
Prof. Gilad Haran
Prof. Asa Kasher
Prof. Retsef Levi
Prof. Udi Qimron
Prof. Eyal Shahar
Dr. Ifat Abadi-Korek
Dr. Bruria Adini
Dr. Ron Babecoff
Dr. Eli David
Dr. Uri Gavish
Dr. Michal Hemmo Lotem
Dr. Dotan Rousso
Dr. Amir Shahar
Dr. Guy Shinar
Dr. Yoav Yehezkelli