“This province has no place for bigotry and racism. We stand with the Muslim community throughout Canada on this sorrowful day of remembrance.”
So wrote David Eby, premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia and leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party, on Saturday in a social media post, which linked to his statement for International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
He subsequently deleted the post and penned a new one. “Today, people all over the world will be remembering the six million Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust, along with millions of others who were targeted because of their ethnicity, sexual identity, disability or political opposition to the Nazis,” he wrote.
“This year’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day comes in the shadow of the deadliest act of violence against Jewish people since the Shoah. Almost four months ago, Hamas terrorists entered Israeli towns, kidnapping hundreds and killing more than 1,000 innocent people,” Eby added. “As we remember those that were lost and honor those who survived, let us also learn from their stories so the same horrors are never repeated. Together, let’s recommit to ‘Never Again’ by making sure we never forget.”
Some five hours after correcting the post, the premier apologized.
“Today a member of my team posted the wrong text with my statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day. The mistake was noticed immediately and removed but it should not have occurred,” he wrote. “I’m very sorry for any pain it may have caused, and the distraction from such an important day.”
Eby had also posted an apparently erroneous message on Instagram, which stated, “Today we mourn and pay tribute to the victims of the 2017 Quebec City mosque attack, who were murdered in a place of sanctity and worship.” (The attack occurred on Jan. 29, 2017.)
“We stand together in opposing the deeply troubling rise of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred in British Columbia,” he added.
“Friends, I am getting back online after Shabbat. I want to address this unfortunate tweet. It was a clear mistake by David Eby, who has been a steadfast supporter of the Jewish community not just since Oct. 7 but far before,” wrote Ezra Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. “This is not a time for knocking him down.”
