Israeli Foreign Interference Necessitates Investigation from Canada’s Government
June 12th, 2024
Justice for All Canada calls on the Canadian government to urgently investigate reports of covert Israeli foreign interference in Canada, following disturbing revelations of an extensive Israeli campaign targeting Canadians with racist and anti-Muslim propaganda. Funded and orchestrated by the Israeli government, these covert operations have employed fake websites and social media accounts to spread harmful messages, including deeply Islamophobic and anti-immigrant content aimed at vilifying Muslims in Canada. This misinformation campaign by the Israeli government exacerbates social divisions, undermines the rights of minority communities, and is part of a larger strategy to manipulate public opinion during Israel’s ongoing human rights violations in Gaza.
Haaretz and the New York Times have exposed the insidious efforts of Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, which has orchestrated a significant influence campaign targeting progressive groups in Canada and the United States, including African-American US lawmakers. A political marketing firm in Tel Aviv was commissioned to create false English-language websites, such as “United Citizens for Canada”, as well as numerous fake social media profiles, leveraging technologies like ChatGPT to spread pro-Israel and racist content. According to an investigation by Fake Reporter, a research initiative whose goal is to combat malicious online activity, these efforts portrayed Canadian Muslims as a “threat to Western values” and also falsely suggested a “push to implement Sharia law in Canada”. Such actions not only fuel prejudice, but also erode trust within Canadian society.
“It is imperative for Parliament to investigate this foreign interference as thoroughly as it has done from others, and immediately take decisive measures to protect Canadian Muslims,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director. This is not the first instance of Israeli covert operations aimed at influencing Canadian public opinion. In October 2023, The Breach uncovered that the Israeli consulate in Toronto had commissioned an opinion poll through Aurora Strategies Global. This poll was designed to sway Canadian public opinion favourably towards Israel's atrocities in Gaza, using biased language to manipulate the results. It was also conducted without disclosing its connection to the Israeli consulate.
The latest events also highlight disconcerting patterns of mounting foreign interference and deliberate targeting of diaspora communities in Canada. In recent years, China’s government has engaged in extensive intimidation and harassment of Uyghur Muslims and Chinese dissidents in Canada, including the monitoring and threatening of activists. Similarly, agents of the Indian government were involved in the killing of a Canadian Sikh in Vancouver. Such events informed the work of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, which commenced in September 2023. This commission is currently investigating such foreign interference and will recommend measures to counter such activities
We are strongly concerned that Canada has not sufficiently scrutinized Israel in the ongoing parliamentary investigations into foreign interference, despite security agencies warning Members of Parliament that Israel was among six countries suspected of engaging in influence activities ahead of the 2021 federal elections. Yet, these warnings have been ignored. The Canadian government must act swifty to safeguard the integrity of its democracy and uphold its values of freedom, equality, and justice. Failure to do so not only allows external actors to manipulate public opinion, but also undermines the very fabric of Canadian society.
Justice for All Canada calls on the Canadian government to urgently investigate reports of covert Israeli foreign interference in Canada, following disturbing revelations of an extensive Israeli campaign targeting Canadians with racist and anti-Muslim propaganda. Funded and orchestrated by the Israeli government, these covert operations have employed fake websites and social media accounts to spread harmful messages, including deeply Islamophobic and anti-immigrant content aimed at vilifying Muslims in Canada. This misinformation campaign by the Israeli government exacerbates social divisions, undermines the rights of minority communities, and is part of a larger strategy to manipulate public opinion during Israel’s ongoing human rights violations in Gaza.
Haaretz and the New York Times have exposed the insidious efforts of Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, which has orchestrated a significant influence campaign targeting progressive groups in Canada and the United States, including African-American US lawmakers. A political marketing firm in Tel Aviv was commissioned to create false English-language websites, such as “United Citizens for Canada”, as well as numerous fake social media profiles, leveraging technologies like ChatGPT to spread pro-Israel and racist content. According to an investigation by Fake Reporter, a research initiative whose goal is to combat malicious online activity, these efforts portrayed Canadian Muslims as a “threat to Western values” and also falsely suggested a “push to implement Sharia law in Canada”. Such actions not only fuel prejudice, but also erode trust within Canadian society.
“It is imperative for Parliament to investigate this foreign interference as thoroughly as it has done from others, and immediately take decisive measures to protect Canadian Muslims,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director. This is not the first instance of Israeli covert operations aimed at influencing Canadian public opinion. In October 2023, The Breach uncovered that the Israeli consulate in Toronto had commissioned an opinion poll through Aurora Strategies Global. This poll was designed to sway Canadian public opinion favourably towards Israel's atrocities in Gaza, using biased language to manipulate the results. It was also conducted without disclosing its connection to the Israeli consulate.
The latest events also highlight disconcerting patterns of mounting foreign interference and deliberate targeting of diaspora communities in Canada. In recent years, China’s government has engaged in extensive intimidation and harassment of Uyghur Muslims and Chinese dissidents in Canada, including the monitoring and threatening of activists. Similarly, agents of the Indian government were involved in the killing of a Canadian Sikh in Vancouver. Such events informed the work of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, which commenced in September 2023. This commission is currently investigating such foreign interference and will recommend measures to counter such activities
We are strongly concerned that Canada has not sufficiently scrutinized Israel in the ongoing parliamentary investigations into foreign interference, despite security agencies warning Members of Parliament that Israel was among six countries suspected of engaging in influence activities ahead of the 2021 federal elections. Yet, these warnings have been ignored. The Canadian government must act swifty to safeguard the integrity of its democracy and uphold its values of freedom, equality, and justice. Failure to do so not only allows external actors to manipulate public opinion, but also undermines the very fabric of Canadian society.