Canadian lawyers borrow from U.S. playbook to quash Palestine solidarity

 

In a new push for ‘lawfare’, pro-Israel groups are weaponizing the courts to silence criticism of Israel

As Palestinian solidarity organizers face dramatic arrests and deportations in a sweeping crackdown on dissent in the United States, some Canadian lawyers are taking notes.

In the U.S., pro-Israel lawyers have worked hand-in-glove with the Trump administration to escalate attacks on academic and democratic institutions—weaponizing the courts to punish and silence criticism of Israel. 

Now, some members of Canada’s legal community are pushing to import those same tactics north—and they’re doing so in the name of fighting what they call “the new antisemitism.” 

This is lawfare in action: the strategic use of legal tools to suppress political opponents. 

In this case, lawfare is being deployed to control the narrative about Israel’s genocide in Gaza—branding as “antisemitic” criticism of Israel, support for international law, or even reference to Palestinian rights, speech, and culture.  (more...)

Canadian lawyers borrow from U.S. playbook to quash Palestine solidarity