Not satisfied with their government’s announcement that they will soon recognize a “State of Palestine” — while blaming Israel for three of four reasons why the hallowed two-state solution has never materialized — Canadians have gone one step further, giving us a moment that would be laughable if it weren’t so grotesque.
Last week, the Toronto International Film Festival uninvited The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue — a documentary by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avirch that details retired IDF General Noam Tibon’s mission to save his family from Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 — from its lineup. Why? First, because of risks of “significant disruption,” and second, because the filmmakers did not receive “legal clearance of all footage.”
The footage? Videos taken by Hamas as they carried out the pogrom of Oct. 7.
Yes, a documentary on the heroism of a Jew on the deadliest day for Jews since the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945 was pulled because it might spark disruption and because Hamas didn’t give permission to use the footage of their crimes they freely and joyfully broadcast to the world.
After a wave of predictable and entirely justified backlash, the festival announced a reversal of the decision, but not without the reliable All Lives Matter dilution of antisemitism that has become a reflex among the anti-Western West.
“The events of October 7, 2023, and the ongoing suffering in Gaza weigh heavily on us, underscoring the urgent need for compassion amid rising antisemitism and Islamophobia,” said TIFF chief executive Cameron Bailey.
Ah, yes, because, as Norm Macdonald famously said, the true danger of radical Islamic terrorism is Islamophobia.
But the reason Islamophobia is mentioned by these feckless Leftists on the rare occasions they address antisemitism is the same reason this documentary was pulled in the first place: They are terrified of stepping on the toes of the jihadists who are now their neighbors.
Let’s imagine a film festival pulling another documentary on the subject of ISIS’s attacks in Iraq, or white supremacists in Charlottesville, or the riots on Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C. Would ownership of publicly broadcast footage be a concern then? Would festival organizers suppress their own free speech out of fear of reprisals from ISIS, white supremacists, or Jan. 6 rioters? Of course not! So why are Jews treated differently?
Well, first, Jews are treated differently because of the double standard of antisemitism that has been cemented in place throughout not just Western civilization but the entire world. Second, Jews are treated differently in Canada and similar countries because Islamists have slowly and intentionally embedded themselves within their societies and stand ready to punish their new neighbors for any transgression, including the acknowledgement of Islamic antisemitism.
This was never about legal liability, but avoiding offending Islamists in Canada, who use such a presence of violent offense as a tool to batter the nation into compliance. The Oct. 7 massacre was the most documented pogrom of the modern era because Hamas filmed it themselves. They wanted the world to see. They wanted the horror to be part of the spectacle. And yet Canadians wanted to aid Hamas apologists by hiding their own crimes from the world, bending over backward to make sure those same terrorists get to dictate how their “art” is used.
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Canada prides itself on multiculturalism, but this isn’t diversity. It’s surrender. Cultural institutions are being eaten from the inside out by an ideology that demands deference to those who despise the very freedoms these institutions claim to cherish. The Toronto decision is just the latest symptom.
Yes, the screening will now happen, but only thanks to public outrage. We cannot forget that the default setting of our cultural gatekeepers, the instinct to silence, to appease, to hide, remains untouched. Until that changes, the next time Jews are murdered on camera, we can expect the same people who lecture us about “never again” to start quoting copyright law.
Ian is a syndicated columnist. Follow him on X (@ighaworth) or Substack.