October 7, 1999

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By FRANCES KRAFT, Staff Reporter

TORONTO - David Icke was allowed to enter Canada, and he gave two talks over the weekend in Ottawa, despite efforts by Canadian Jewish Congress, the Vaad Ha' Ir of Ottawa, the Green party of Ontario and B'nai Brith Canada.

Icke is the controversial British New Age speaker whose writings carry disturbing and bizarre echoes of the anti-Semitic tome, Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

He was also scheduled to speak this week at Hart House Theatre in Toronto and Windsor Casino. His talk at the latter venue was cancelled following contact by concerned Jewish groups.

In Ottawa, as well, Icke's talk was cancelled by at least four different host venues after they learned who he was, said Stacia Benovitch of the Vaad Ha'Ir. He eventually spoke at a CEGEP in Hull, Que. An estimated 35 to 50 people attended the Sunday talk.

Concerned Jewish organizations -- and Green party representatives, who are endeavoring to dissociate themselves from Icke, a former Green party member in Britain -- had contacted event organizers, host sites, police hate crime units and Immigration authorities regarding their concerns.

Thus far, the only place in Ontario that appears to be willing to allow Icke to speak is Hart House, said Bernie Farber, executive director of Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario region.

"We are disappointed," said Farber. "We have asked the University of Toronto at least to provide a basis to monitor the speech to ensure that none of his anti-Semitic material is sold, and to ensure that he doesn't say anything that might be in contravention of anti-hate laws."

A representative of Sumari Seminars, which organized the Ottawa-area presentation as well as the two scheduled for this week in Toronto and Windsor, denied that Icke is anti-Semitic in a letter to Farber.

"Nowhere in his books nor in person that we know of has he stated that Jewish people are to be 'hated,' to be 'feared,' to be 'annihilated,' wrote the representative, identified only as Susan. Icke's books have been pulled from Indigo, following contact by Congress, said Farber.

"I hope the next time the Canadian authorities use their discretion not to let him in," said Rubin Friedman, Ottawa-based director of government relations for B'nai Brith Canada. Friedman, along with Richard Warman of the Green party, had urged Immigration officials to bar Icke, not only because of the content of his books, but also on the basis of not having a work permit.

Contrary to Icke's promotional material, he was not a founder of the Green party in Britain, but was removed from the party because of his views, according to Richard Warman, Ottawa-based Green party member. According to Friedman (immigration officials could not be reached at press time), Icke had to return to the Ottawa airport for some type of immigration hearing on Sunday. Warman was also disappointed that Immigration let Icke in in the first place. "I kind of felt we handed him over on a silver platter."

Our opinion

Whatever one's views of Mr Icke -- and we have no knowledge of him-- the above article shows once again that the Canadian Jewish community have (a) not got the hang of Freedom of Speech even now, and (b) failed to recognise the increase in anti-Semitism that their anti-free speech antics generate.