The law is often an ass, according to Mr Bumble in Dickens’ Oliver Twist. But even asses occasionally stumble onto the truth.
“Hate propaganda” is not just an ugly synonym for anti-Semitism. It is a crime, written into the Criminal Code s.318, because history carved it into human flesh.
Hate propaganda always operates in the same manner. It takes a man, a neighbour, a colleague, and dissolves him into a category — a they. It dehumanises, depersonalises, and prepares the mob for the moment when “they” can be attacked without conscience. The transition from word to weapon is as natural as gravity.
History is a morgue filled with its echoes:
Germany: before Dachau and Auschwitz, there was Der Stürmer. Before the trains, there were cartoons of Jews as rats, and physicians in white coats proving their “disease.” Before the fire, there was the word.
Rwanda: before the genocide, Radio Mille Collines blared through the hills, calling Tutsis “cockroaches.” By the time the machetes were unsheathed, the mental work was already done.
The Balkans: before Srebrenica, Serb radio roared with talk of “Islamic filth” polluting the land. The words stripped humanity away before bullets finished the job.
Russia today: watch the Kremlin’s propagandists speak of Ukrainians as “vermin” or “Nazis.” Always the same dance: reduce them to a category, then permit them to kill.
And now, here in Canada, a paramedic declares that Jews lure children to kill them — one of the oldest libels in recorded history. This is not “controversial opinion.” It is the precise definition of hate propaganda. It is criminal. And yet, the state broadcaster softened it, excused it, declined to name it.
The CBC refuses to condemn and supports the language of the pogrom. The CBC writer Alevato - another coward - refuses to respond.
Let us be absolutely clear: hate propaganda is not merely offensive. It is an accelerant. It is the overture before the orchestra of pogrom. To call it “controversial” is to stand at the edge of the fire and call it warm.
History teaches one lesson with the power of thunder: where such language is excused, tolerated, or dignified, the bodies always follow.
"It takes a man, a neighbour, a colleague, and dissolves him into a category — a they. "
Brilliant! Thank you.
So true!!!