This story is featured in Episode 76 – YOU CAN LISTEN TO IT HERE
B’nai Brith Canada is Canada’s oldest Jewish advocacy organization, with roots going back to 1875, tracking antisemitism trends in Canada for decades.
On August 6th B’nai Brith revealed (“COVID-19 Created by “Organized Jewry,” Toronto Newspaper Claims”) that “Głos”, a Toronto-based Polish-language newspaper, published an article “Coronavirus, or the Fake Pandemic,” blaming COVID-19 on an imagined Jewish conspiracy. The text contained numerous instances of strongly antisemitic content. In fact, the article appeared twice in two issues of the paper – in March and April. B’nai Brith filed a criminal complaint with the Toronto Police.
The story received widespread media attention, including a front-page article in the leading Canadian daily The National Post “Canadian Polish-language newspaper blames COVID-19 on Jews in anti-Semitic tirade”.
Also:
Polish-Language Newspapers Face Backlash Following B’nai Brith Revelations
Polish National Union Condemns Głos Newspaper
The Polish National Union of Canada’s statement
This is the second such case in just on eyear. Last year, in the summer of 2019, a criminal complaint was filed by B’nai Brith Canada against another Polish language weekly published in Canada – “Goniec” and its editor-in-chief and publisher Andrzej Kumor for publishing a number of antisemitic articles. The police investigation lasted almost a year and in June, Mr. Kumor was arrested and released with a warning but without charges.
B’nai Brith on Goniec:
“Jews Are Spying on You,” Ontario Polish Newspaper Claims
Newspaper Publisher Arrested over Antisemitic Articles
Also:
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This is a complex issue whose many aspects we explore in this and subsequent episodes of POLcast.
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POLcast has featured many Polish-Jewish stories as Polish-Jewish relations are of great interest to us. You can find them all here: