Charge of ‘anti-Semitism’ backfires
An ex-candidate in Canada is suing the country’s leading Jewish advocacy groups, alleging they ruined her political career.
Lesley Hughes (pictured right), who was dumped as a Liberal candidate in aWinnipeg-area electoral district, claims the Canadian Jewish Congressand B’nai Brith Canada made false and defamatory accusations that sheis anti-Semitic.
In a lawsuit filed June 16, Hughes alleges that as a result of theactions of the CJC and B’nai Brith, former federal Liberal leaderStephane Dion revoked her candidacy in last September’s federalelections.
Hughes is suing the organizations, four of its senior members andPeter Kent, now a federal Cabinet minister who represents a heavilyJewish Toronto-area district.
In her lawsuit Hughes acknowledges that in a 2002 article in aWinnipeg community newspaper, she repeated a variation of the Internetcanard that legions of Jews avoided death in the 9/11 attack on theWorld Trade Center because the Mossad knew of the attacks in advance.
“Israeli businesses, which had offices in the Towers, vacated thepremises a week before the attacks, breaking their lease to do it,” shewrote.
Hughes alleges in her suit that CJC and B’nai Brith, using a6-year-old article, persuaded Dion to revoke her candidacy on thegrounds that she was anti-Semitic and unfit for public office.
She says Kent, then a Conservative candidate, issued a news releaseon Sept. 26, 2008 in which he said Hughes holds “extreme, anti-Israel9/11 conspiracy theories” and was “unfit to serve for public office.”
Hughes claims she has been “branded as an anti-Semite and a personof unsavory character and, as a result, is no longer employable in herrole as a freelance journalist/broadcaster.” She also says she hassuffered mental distress and humiliation.
None of the defendants has filed statements of defense, nor have any of the allegations been proven in court.