In a series of widely circulated public posts documented by journalist Jesse Brown, activists openly called to “globalize the intifada” at specific Canadian media organizations, including the Globe and Mail, the National Post, and Canadaland. These calls were not theoretical. They were directed at real workplaces, staffed by real people, including Jewish journalists.
The term “intifada” is not symbolic language. It refers to historical campaigns of political violence marked by suicide bombings, mass stabbings, and deliberate attacks on Jewish civilians. To call for its globalization—while naming Canadian newsrooms as targets—is to invoke violence against Jewish people working within those institutions.
Attempts to dismiss this language as merely meaning “uprising,” “disruption,” or “institutional challenge” are irresponsible and false. Intent matters—especially when Jewish Canadians are experiencing a documented rise in threats, harassment, and violent attacks.
Condemning calls to “globalize the intifada” is not censorship and not an attack on free expression. Journalists are free to report on extremist rhetoric. They are not free to excuse, sanitize, or normalize threats—particularly when those threats are directed at Jewish colleagues and institutions.
The Independent Press Gallery of Canada calls on all publicly funded Canadian media organizations to:
• Explicitly reject calls to “globalize the intifada” as threats, not political speech
• Affirm their duty to protect Jewish journalists and staff from intimidation and violence
• Enforce editorial standards that draw a clear line between reporting on extremism and legitimizing it
Journalism cannot function where threats against Jews are tolerated, minimized, or rhetorically laundered. It is a matter of safety, responsibility, and professional integrity.
Sheila Gunn Reid
President, Independent Press Gallery
www.IndependentPressGallery.com