A letter to the Executive of the Canadian Arab Federation

dawn — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:27:17 +0000

Colonialism and racism are never something to celebrate

July 4, 2009

To the Executive of the Canadian Arab Federation:

I am writing to express my disappointment with your decision to
distance CAF from the statements regarding "Canada Day" made by Omar
Shaban, your (former) Vice-President for the west. I am an indigenous activist based in Vancouver. I am also actively involved in the Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign, as the struggle for Palestine is of immense importance to me.

Last year I personally contacted CAF to get an endorsement for the
‘Walk for Palestine’ event in Vancouver, where we commemorated the 60th anniversary of Al-Nakba, the ‘catastrophe’ for Palestinians that was marked by the birth of Israel in 1948 and the displacement of over 750,000 Palestinians from their lands and homes. I was happy that CAF readily endorsed this event, as I’m sure it has done for numerous events and initiatives for Palestine over the years.

On the other hand, this past week marked ‘Canada Day,’ which, for me and many indigenous people living in Canada, should be seen as a day to commemorate our own ‘catastrophe’ - that is, the forced theft and occupation of our territories, the break-up of our societies and traditional forms of governance, and a systematic policy of genocide that continues to this day. This history, this ‘heritage,’ forms the true foundations of Canadian society, and for indigenous people who have struggled for generations with living under Canadian colonialism, July 1st is not a day to celebrate.

This is the main reason I am disappointed with the July 1st press
release posted on your website, as it seems there is a large
contradiction where you identify with the struggle of the occupied in
the context of Palestine, but in the context of ‘Canada’ are
identifying with the heritage of the occupier. As someone who feels

Mike Krebs

A letter to the Executive of the Canadian Arab Federation