Olivia Chow’s ‘genocide’ remarks spark calls for apology, resignation

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There are growing calls for Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow to apologize — and even resign — after she publicly accused Israel of committing “genocide.”

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Chow made the comments over the weekend at an event hosted by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), where she compared Israel's operations to eliminate Palestinian terror to Japan's ruthless and brutal occupation of China during World War II.

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“My mother was a child in a war zone, suffering from famine caused by Japan when they invaded China during World War II,” she told the crowd during her speech Saturday.

“When my grandmother was just 13 years old, she was alone after she died of dysentery and had to keep her two brothers alive.”

Toronto Sun has reached out to Chow's office for comment.

Groups Call Chow 'Reckless and Irresponsible'

Jewish and Israeli groups reacted with alarm to the mayor's statements.

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Avi Benlolo, chairman and CEO of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative (AGPI), called on Chow to immediately apologize for his “reckless and irresponsible” remarks.

“I was absolutely shocked that she would make such an inflammatory statement that is both untrue and anti-Semitic, and supports denial and distortion of the war in Gaza,” he said, questioning why Chow’s remarks did not also include a condemnation of the atrocities committed Palestinian terrorist groups such as Hamas.

“It was bad in every way, and for the mayor of Canada’s largest city, it was completely reckless and very irresponsible.”

Chow's comments are a “calculated insult”

The Canadian Antisemitism Foundation called Chow's comments a “deliberate insult” to Toronto's Jewish community and called for her resignation.

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“The only genocide in the Gaza Strip was the massacre carried out by Hamas and its allies against Israelis on October 7, 2023,” the statement said on Monday.

“Somehow we doubt that's what the mayor meant.”

The statement describes the “genocide” accusations as false and discrediting the State of Israel, and further increases the risk to the GTA Jewish community, which has been under relentless attack since October 7 Toronto-based far-left and anti-Israel activists.

“Given the numerous violent attacks on Jewish businesses and public institutions in Toronto since the October 7, 2023 massacre, Mayor Chow’s words will do the same,” the statement said.

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“This is reprehensible and inexcusable.”

Urging Chow to Focus Locally

Chow's comments also didn't sit well with Toronto city councilors.

Ward 19 councilor Brad Bradford said Sun that Chow should focus on issues affecting her city rather than foreign affairs.

“I would like to see Mayor Chow telling people what she will do to ensure the safety of all Torontonians, rather than voicing her opinion on a conflict thousands of miles away, especially when it conflicts with the position of the Canadian government,” he told Bradford.

Indeed, anti-Jewish hatred in Canada will reach record levels in 2024up a staggering 124% from 2022, according to B'nai Birth Canada's annual report.

Anti-Israel activists regularly hold intimidation rallies on city streets, in front of Jewish-owned businesses, and even in Toronto's Jewish neighborhoods, and have been responsible for numerous arson attacks, vandalism, and even shootings at Jewish community centers, schools, and synagogues.

“When you make a statement like that, it only emboldens the other side and approves of that behavior,” Benlolo said.

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