Hundreds of pro-PLO demonstrators forced the cancellation of a scheduled talk by former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at Concordia University in Montreal yesterday. Even before Netanyahu arrived, they tossed chairs at police and broke glass in the lobby. The police attempted to drive them back with batons and pepper spray and arrested five of them - but finally were forced to cancel the entire event, and to carefully escort the Jews, one group at a time, out of the building.
Following the canceled speech, Netanyahu held a press conference in which he blasted the protestors, accusing them of supporting terrorism. He said that that they caused damage to their own cause, "because instead of a few thousand students hearing me, now ten million Canadians will hear of the Arabs' behavior." Netanyahu said he would meet later in the day with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Netanyahu will take part in memorial ceremonies in New York for the World Trade Center victims, and will address the U.S. Congress on Thursday, two hours after a speech there by U.S. President George Bush.
Voice of Judea, an independent news service based in New York, noted that the above incident comes on the heels of Foreign Minister Peres being "frightened to speak before an audience in South Africa" last week and the "chasing away" of Netanyahu several months ago from an appearance in California. Voice of Judea continued:
"On campuses across North America and Europe, Jewish students are being harassed and Jewish clubs disrupted by Arab and Muslim students joined by the regular bands of white fascists and black racists. Throughout Europe, Jews are already feeling the brunt in their synagogues and meeting places. Who knows what will be tomorrow? Will Israeli diplomats and Jews be regularly assaulted on the streets of New York? Where are the Jewish leaders and where are the so-called Jewish defense groups such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Bnai Brith?... Where is the Israeli security?... Where is Kach, Kahane Chai, the Jewish Defense League and the other militant Jewish groups that once fought back...? [The answer is that they] have been outlawed and crushed by the American State Department that declared these legal groups to be "terrorist" organizations..."
Following the canceled speech, Netanyahu held a press conference in which he blasted the protestors, accusing them of supporting terrorism. He said that that they caused damage to their own cause, "because instead of a few thousand students hearing me, now ten million Canadians will hear of the Arabs' behavior." Netanyahu said he would meet later in the day with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Netanyahu will take part in memorial ceremonies in New York for the World Trade Center victims, and will address the U.S. Congress on Thursday, two hours after a speech there by U.S. President George Bush.
Voice of Judea, an independent news service based in New York, noted that the above incident comes on the heels of Foreign Minister Peres being "frightened to speak before an audience in South Africa" last week and the "chasing away" of Netanyahu several months ago from an appearance in California. Voice of Judea continued:
"On campuses across North America and Europe, Jewish students are being harassed and Jewish clubs disrupted by Arab and Muslim students joined by the regular bands of white fascists and black racists. Throughout Europe, Jews are already feeling the brunt in their synagogues and meeting places. Who knows what will be tomorrow? Will Israeli diplomats and Jews be regularly assaulted on the streets of New York? Where are the Jewish leaders and where are the so-called Jewish defense groups such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Bnai Brith?... Where is the Israeli security?... Where is Kach, Kahane Chai, the Jewish Defense League and the other militant Jewish groups that once fought back...? [The answer is that they] have been outlawed and crushed by the American State Department that declared these legal groups to be "terrorist" organizations..."