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The Advocates Society (TAS), a 6,000 member Canadian association of judges and lawyers, is now in deep and hot water. A while ago, it invited famed Syrian refugee and successful entrepreneur Tareq Hadhad, CEO of Peace by Chocolate, as the keynote speaker at its annual event in June. But, responding to a few complaints about Hadhad’s social media posts condemning the Israeli genocide in Gaza, TAS disinvited him.
Now TAS is into damage control mode, with senior officials resigning and the organization issuing an apology. But the decision to disinvite Hadhad has not been reversed. And Hadhad has received no apology.
The Advocates Society (TAS) apology went to its own members, not to Tareq Hadhad.
The problem with the apology is it was aimed at its own members, select Jewish and pro-Israel members including lawyer Jonathan Lisus whose letter against Hadhad contributed to TAS cancelling the speech. In other words, TAS cared more to placate its pro-Israel members and lobbyists than allowing Hadhad to speak.
What is wrong with Hadhad, a Syrian refugee, who nearly a decade ago along with his family, settled in Antigonish, NS and established a successful chocolate company, Peace by Chocolate?
Still for TAS’ Jewish jurists and pro-Israel sympathizers, Hadhad’s very presence (let alone his speech) was unacceptable. There is a playbook used to squash any talk about Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. Here it is:
Look at who is speaking or writing; if it is an Arab, or a Muslim it is especially important for the Israel apologists to smear them
Scrape the person’s social media to find any condemnation of Israel or any activities they take to censure Israel
Make sure that person does not get to speak, to be on a panel, to be featured in an interview or to be quoted in the media, or to be touted in any way.
If the person does get to speak or get ‘platformed’ the official Jews denounce them, call them antisemitic as well as the organization that allowed them to speak
As one academic put it “Israel seeks full spectrum dominance” of all political and intellectual forums that might challenge it.
At the start of the week, Sheree Conlon president-elect of The Advocates Society called for the June dinner to be cancelled entirely. She said she would not attend nor would she agree to take on the presidency of TAS because,
“I believe by doing so we abandoned our values and purpose, rather than promoting civility, respectful discussion and collegiality. I also know that we were holding Mr. Hadhad to a standard that we have not applied to other speakers, leaders and award recipients. My deepest personal conflict came from knowing we were signalling to racialized lawyers that their voices do not belong.”
Yesterday, Sheila Gibb, currently the TAS treasurer, who planned to serve as the organization’s vice-president after the June event, also stepped away. Gibb said, Hadhad
“was held to a standard which other speakers have not been held. . . ” [cancelling Hadhad has had] “a chilling effect. …In my view, it is necessary that TAS — and our bar — be able to hold space for different perspectives and difficult discussions.”
(by cartoonist and musician Mazen Kerbaj from Beirut, Lebanon. Read about him here.)
For an organization that is dedicated to ensuring “the presence of a courageous and independent bar, and the maintenance of the role of the advocate in the administration of justice,” isn’t the decision to “fire” Hadhad a no-no? I guess not.
TAS: Where is the Accountability?
Apparently Peace by Chocolate has received scores of letters and emails in support of Tareq Hadhad and the company’s stand for peace and justice for Palestinians.
But to date, Hadhad has not received an apology from TAS.
Nor has TAS, despite some members’ calls for accountability, re-invited him.
I doubt they will. In fact, the likelihood is the June event will be cancelled – to avoid the “discomfort” of having to apologize and re-invite Tareq Hadhad.
Image at the top: Banksy uses Gaza as a canvas to highlight plight of Palestinians (Banksy.co.uk). Here’s an article about the artwork which dates from 2015.
