Canada's Jason Kenney’s “anti free speech” conference sponsorship to be exposed on Monday

MEDIA ADVISORY Ottawa – Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) will hold press conference on Monday in Ottawa, releasing a video to the media and Members of Parliament which challenges the Harper government's mounting attacks on free speech. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and the Harper government are sponsoring an international conference in Ottawa on November 8 and 9 of the 'Inter-Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism' (ICCA), following hearings earlier this year of the ICCA's local counterpart – the 'Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism' (CPCCA). The press conference speakers and video evidence will reveal startling details of how the CPCCA and ICCA have an agenda to attack free speech and to silence legitimate criticism of Israel by falsely conflating this with anti-Semitism. WHAT: Press Conference WHEN: Monday, Nov. 8, at 9:30 A M WHERE: Charles Lynch Room (130-S, Centre Block), Parliament Hill, Ottawa WHO: Speaking at the press conference will be: Michael Keefer, Author of Antisemitism Real and Imagined: Responses to the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism, as well as Diana Ralph, Steering Committee, IJV. IJV member, Linda Belanger will take questions in French. At the press conference, the short video produced by IJV on the theme "The Threat is the New McCarthyism, not the 'New Antisemitism' " will be showed. The video features: Prominent human rights lawyers, professors and experts: Michael Keefer, Barbara Jackman, Trevor Purvis, Joanne Naiman, and Alan Sear exposing the biases, fallacies, and dangers of the CPCCA and the new McCarthyism. Groups and individuals already victimized by the Canadian government's assault on free speech: George Galloway (British MP), Kevin Neish (Canadian survivor of the Israeli assault on the Gaza flotilla) and Khaled Mouammar (President of the Canadian Arab Federation) Human rights spokespeople, including Alex Neve (Amnesty International), Sid Shniad (IJV), Brian Campbell (Seriously Free Speech Committee), and Warren Allmand (former MP, board member CJPME) -30- For more information contact: Diana Ralph Member, steering committee Independent Jewish Voices Canada Phone: 613-314-2805 (cell) Cell: `613-314-2805 (cell) Email: dianar@magma.ca Website: www.independentjewishvoices.ca