Jewish group labels Winnipeg businessman antisemitic for social media postings

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An international Jewish advocacy group is calling out Winnipeg businessman Ramsey Zeid for what it calls antisemitism in the wake of the escalating war in the Middle East and pro-Palestine demonstrations across Canada, but he says Israel is the problem.

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Statements posted online by Zeid, president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba reflect the growing problem of Jew hatred in Canada, said Gerard Filitti, a lawyer with The Lawfare Project based in New York.

Some of Zeid’s social media posts include “ALL OUT FOR IRAN!” and “ALL OUT FOR LEBANON!” Zeid also posted that Israel is “the real problem” in the Middle East. He posted the conflict in Gaza is “genocide” and that Israel is an “apartheid state.” Zeid also posted “ALL OUT FOR HUMANITY!” “ALL OUT FOR YEMEN!” and “Israel does not want peace.”

“Apart from being a complete falsehood, I think the danger of statements like these is the effect they have on the population, the effect they have in creating Jew-hatred,” said Filitti, noting pro-Palestine social media graphics can also glorify violence and terrorism.

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He said Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.

Another social media post from Zeid says millions of people are “starting to see Zionism for what it really is, a disease that must be destroyed.”

The statements are not targeted at Israel, said Filitti.

“They’re targeted to be used in front of synagogues. They’re used to target Jewish people on the streets, on campuses, and that’s where the problem is because, beyond politics, the effect these statements have is one that’s discriminatory on Jewish Canadians.”

The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of southern Israel resulted in the death of approximately 1,200 people including seniors, women, children and babies as Hamas gunmen swept through streets, homes and a music festival on the last day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

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Around 250 people were taken hostage. A number of women, children and seniors were alleged victims of rape and mutilation, according to the BBC.

The 1988 Hamas Charter says in part “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it.”

The Charter also quotes the Muslim hadith, “The day of judgment will not come about until Muslims fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out ‘O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.’”

An updated version of the Charter uses new and toned down language, says The Guardian – while some remain skeptical of the changes.

Filitti said the Hamas invasion was the largest attempted genocide against Jews since the Holocaust.

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“What we are seeing, especially in the last year, since October 7, is an open explosion of antisemitism around the world, and in Canada it is no different and no better than anywhere else,” said Filitti. “Unfortunately, in many cases it might be a little bit worse.”

Zeid hits back

According to UN stats, Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza had killed more than 40,000 people by the end of August. On Oct. 8, Al Jazeera reported 41,615 dead, including 16,756 children and 11,346 women. Over 97,000 people have been injured — one in 23 residents. The population of Gaza was around 2.2 million before the conflict.

In response, thousands of Canadians have participated in pro-Palestine demonstrations that many argue cross the line into antisemitism and hate speech.

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In Vancouver, a Canadian flag was recently burned while a protester shouted “Death to Canada, death to the United States and death to Israel,” according to CBC.

“I’m not saying anything the United Nations or the International Criminal Court hasn’t said already,” said Zeid in a conversation with the Winnipeg Sun.

“A number of humanitarian organizations, a number of countries around the world, the ICC the ICJ the UN have called Israel an apartheid state and that they are committing war crimes and genocide.”

The UN defines genocide as acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, like: killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, and deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.

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Vast swaths of Gaza have been devastated by Israel’s military, including hospitals and schools, said Zeid. Over half the population now lives in tent cities along the Mediterranean coast, he said. According to Al Jazeera, famine is spreading in Gaza.

Filitti said terrorists have embedded themselves in Gaza’s general population.

“How do you balance that?” he said. “How do you balance fighting an enemy that disregards civilian life? How do you fight an enemy like Hamas that uses humans as shields?”

Zeid regrets the 2023 Hamas invasion in southern Israel — calling it a terrible situation. He referred to Gaza as an open-air prison (imposed by Israel).

“You can only treat people like (crap) for so long, before they say, ‘You know what? I’m going to fight — either I die or I’m free,’” he said. “Yes, it’s unfortunate. It sucks that innocent people were affected, but if you look at the United Nations, if you look at Human Rights Watch, 2023 was the worst year in a decade in Gaza.”

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recent statement that Israel is fighting on seven fronts: Iran, Gaza – Hamas “savages,” Lebanon – Hezbollah, Yemen – Houthis, Iraq – Shia, terrorist groups in Syria and Palestinian militants in the West Bank.

“In defending ourselves against this barbarism, Israel is defending civilization against those who seek to impose a dark age of fanaticism on all of us,” he said, calling out Iran for recently launching 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. “All civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side.”

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