“In properly interpreting the law on free speech to understand that it does not include the right to spread false information, the TTC has not allowed itself to fall prey to the false anti-Israel propaganda campaign,” B’nai Brith Canada said.
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| Maps of Disappearing Palestine exposed as lies |
From JTA
Brad Ross, a spokesman for the transit
commission, told JTA on Monday that the ads were turned down because
they were “inaccurate and misleading.” The ads were intended to run on
buses and subways, as well as the commission’s shelters.
Proposed by the Montreal-based Canadians for
Justice and Peace in the Middle East, the ads were similar to the
“Disappearing Palestine” ad that ran this summer in Vancouver’s transit
system. The Vancouver ad showed four maps, spanning from 1946 to 2012,
that suggested Israel was taking over Palestinian land....
“Our legal opinion,” Ross said, “is that there
has never been a finding by any international court or tribunal with
respect to the illegality of loss of land, and by making that statement,
it potentially could cause discrimination or advocate hate towards a
specified group, in this case Israelis and/or the Jewish people.”
Ross said the four ads contained similar
language, maps and the line “illegal under international law.” He said
“the real legal issue” for the transit commission “was a statement that
we determined to be either inaccurate or misleading.”
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East may appeal the decision, asserting that freedom of speech allows them to post whatever lies they want. Stay tuned.
