“Jewish individuals should not be further ostracized because of the threat posed by nefarious radicals,” the group said in a May 7 post on platform X. “It is the rogues who are creating division in our society. Capitulating to their threatening behaviour will only further embolden them.”
The flag raising event has happened every year in Ottawa since 2007 and is done to mark the Israeli day of Independence, also known as Yom Ha’atzmaut, which originally took place in 1948.
According to the city, the flag raising would not be held this year due to safety concerns.
“This decision is based on recent intelligence that suggests hosting a public ceremony poses a substantial risk to public safety,” the city said in a statement.
The Epoch Times contacted Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe for comment on the Jewish community’s reaction to the flag raising cancellation, but did not receive a reply by publication time.
Mr. Sutcliffe previously said he was disappointed by the decision, blaming escalating “threats and hostility” toward the Jewish community in a social-media post.
Canadian diplomat and Special Envoy for Preserving Holocaust Remembrance & Combatting Antisemitism Deborah Lyons was also critical of the decision.
“Limiting Jewish participation in Canadian life due to the threat of violence is not acceptable to the vast majority of this country. All levels of leadership must take action to ensure Jewish Canadians are free to live as Jewish Canadians.”
“Cowardice to stand up to them is a stain on this city [and] a deeply troubling departure from a longstanding ceremony,” she said on X.
