Toronto International Film Festival – “numerous lies and distortions”

Tell the signers of the Toronto Declaration,”You Speak for Me”

We recently carried a Jewish Peace News report that Canadian filmmaker John Greyson had withdraw his new film “Covered” from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) because of the Festival’s decision to make Tel Aviv a focus of its programming this year (see Jewish Peace News – what kind of BDS campaign?)

Cecilie Surasky, Jewish Voice for Peace deputy director, now writes of the “numerous lies and distortions” being spread about the protest letter signed by 1,000 plus artists and filmmakers – including many Palestinians and Israelis – regarding the affair. “[T]he backlash has been terrible and very hard on a number of people” who signed the protest letter.

The lies and distortions of the the campaign are highlighted in two carefully researched  reports prepared by Jewish Voice for Peace. This is a case study in how elements in the pro-Israel lobby in the US work to discredit those they oppose and is well worth following in detail.  See:

Setting the record straight: Response to historical distortions

Stand With Us, a US-based right wing Israel advocacy organization, says, “The Toronto Declaration is filled with misinformation, distortions, and lack of context.“ In fact, it is the Stand with Us “fact sheet” that  is filled with misinformation and outright fabrications of history. We’ve consulted with historians to get to the bottom of Stand With Us claims…

Fighting the Lies – Toronto International Film Festival

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