Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's speech at the National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism on Thursday was commended by Israel's embassy in Ottawa.
During the speech, after addressing the global rise in antisemitism and support for terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, Trudeau identified himself as a Zionist and asserted "no one in Canada should ever be afraid to call themselves a Zionist.
"The term Zionist increasingly being tossed around as a pejorative, in spite of the fact that it simply means believing the right of the Jewish people, like all people, to determine their own future, is not normal," Trudeau told attendees.
The speech was welcomed by the embassy, who wrote on social media in response, "We deeply value Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau's statement that 'no one in Canada should ever be afraid to call themselves a Zionist' and his clear identification as a Zionist -- especially in such dark hours for Jews in Canada and around the world.
"Indeed, the rise of antisemitism is not normal - it is unprecedented. According to Israel's Diaspora Ministry, there has been a 670% increase in antisemitic incidents in Canada since October 7th – this startling stat should keep us all awake at night."
Albanese responds
In response to the embassy's tweet and Trudeau's speech, UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Francesca Albanese responded that Zionism infringes on Palestinian's right to self-determination.
"Antisemitism, like all racism, is repugnant and must be fought as a legal and moral duty. But opposing it should not mean ignoring the rights of others," she wrote in a Friday post on X/Twitter. "No ideology justifies the dispossession of a people or the denial of their right to self-determination.
"Canada has legal obligations to support, not obstruct, Palestinian self-determination—failure to do so can have legal consequences under int'l law. Canadians should be fully aware of this."
'Red warning lights are flashing'
Trudeau spoke of his recent visit to Poland for the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation, during which two Canadian Holocaust survivors accompanied him.
In a private meeting with the Canadian prime minister, one of the survivors turned to Trudeau and expressed his concern at the amount of antisemitism in the world today, seeing as "Auschwitz did not fall from the sky."
Trudeau asserted that because more Holocaust survivors are dying in their old age, everyone must do better to ensure that future generations don't forget the atrocities Hitler's regime committed.
"Memory is fading. Denialism is increasingly mainstream. Warning lights are increasingly flashing red," Trudeau asserted. "Antisemitism is on the rise, particularly since Hamas's brutal, barbaric terror attack on October 7. Holocaust denialism is on the rise. Violent extremism is on the rise. What we are experiencing is not normal," he said.
He then went on to condemn demonstrations in support of Palestine that feature supporters of Hamas and Hezbollah.
"Antisemites singing the praises of Hamas and Hezbollah while waving their flags in our cities is not normal," he said. "Jewish students being shouted down in their classrooms and campuses for simply expressing their identity, their opinions, their beliefs, is not normal."
Trudeau also appeared to reference a series of antisemitic attacks that happened in Canada.
"Synagogues and Jewish day schools being attacked and firebombed by cowards in the night is not normal. The increasingly common indifference towards or rationalization of rising antisemitism is not normal."
He emphasized that it was "incumbent" that the Canadian government take the "deadly threat seriously."
"When it comes to the safety and security of Jewish Canadians, we will always be on the same page. There is no responsibility that I, and my government, take more seriously than keeping Canadians safe," he said.
"Failure is not an option. Never again is now, and it's time for all of us, from every order of government and every corner of society, to act like it," he finalized.