VANCOUVER - Welcomed into Canada, Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman addressed a full house at the Jewish Community Centre tonight.

Outside, a noisy demonstration pointed to Liebermann's many racist and extremist views and policies. The demonstration was organized by an adhoc coalition of community groups. From their press release:

“We are extremely distressed by the Harper government’s welcoming of this visit by Israel’s extremist, racist foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, a man who has openly advocated ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians,” said Sid Shniad, spokesperson for Independent Jewish Voices.

In addition to justifying war crimes against Gaza and upholding the illegal occupation of Palestine, Lieberman has publicly called for Palestinian prisoners to be drowned in the Dead Sea; advocated the execution of Palestinian members of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset; demanded that Palestinian and Arab citizens of Israel sign a "loyalty oath"; and threatened to "destroy everything" in the West Bank and to bomb Egypt's Aswan Dam – among other offensive and violent statements.

Lieberman’s visit to Vancouver comes just ahead of his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. This past May, when the Harper government took the most extreme anti-Palestinian position amongst the G8 countries, Lieberman praised Canada as a “true friend of Israel."