A Jewish member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, Selina Robinson, had her Coquitlam constituency office vandalized on Tuesday night as part of an ongoing row over the Canadian politician's remarks that prior to the establishment of Israel, the territory was “a crappy piece of land with nothing on it.”
"No Zionists AKA Jewish supremacists as our MLA (member of the legislative assembly)," read one poster calling for her resignation from caucus. Another proclaimed that "Zionism is racism."
Photographs taken in Israel prior to the establishment of the state were plastered at the entrance, along with white graffiti saying, among other things, "crappy piece of parliament."
"There is only one solution, Intifada revolution," said other posters. "Free Palestine."
An X account calling itself Canadian Antifa claimed responsibility for the vandalism in a post on Tuesday.
"We decorated Selina Robinson's office to let her know we don't want her as our MLA and that she needs to be ousted out of the NDP (New Democratic Party) party," wrote Canadian Antifa.
We decorated Selina Robinson's office to let her know we don't want her as our MLA and that she needs to be ousted out of the NDP party. #freepalestine #Canada #NDP #coquitlam #ResignSelinaRobinson#FireSelinaRobinson @seanorr @critcrim @sasa_ghada @Dave_Eby @theJagmeetSingh pic.twitter.com/YXWGpP5hw4
— Canadian Antifa (@Exposeisrael123) February 6, 2024
BC Premier and BC NDP leader David Eby decried the defacing of Robinson's office, including with "hateful messages."
"This is wrong," said Eby. "Peaceful protest cannot include spreading hate."
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said that the incident was "utterly deplorable," and that Robinson's "removal [from her ministerial position] and the ensuing vandalism are the inevitable result of the ongoing intimidation and vilification tactics anti-Israel agitators are using against Jewish people."
Robinson stepped down from her position as the province's post-secondary education minister in an announcement on Monday. According to the Vancouver Sun, during a January 30 B'nai Brith Canada online panel with other Jewish politicians, Robinson described Mandate Palestine as a barren land with little economic development prior to Jewish resettlement. The comments angered supporters of Palestinians, which was unabated by her apologies -- demonstrated by chalk graffiti outside her office stating "we do not accept your apology."
"There have been many discussions over the weekend with the premier and many caucus colleagues, and together we decided it's best for me to step aside as Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills," Robinson announced on Monday. "This decision does not excuse my harmful comments, nor does it absolve me of the work I am committed to doing. While I had previously decided not to run again in the next election I remain committed to my constituents for the remainder of my term."
The Rabbinical Association of Vancouver and The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs issued statements in support of Robinson.
"We are very disappointed by yesterday's announcement," said a RAV statement. "We believe that you have capitulated to a small but loud group of people."
The Jewish groups argued that while Robinson had made a mistake, she had not been afforded the same consideration and credit for apologizing as Eby himself received for his own recent gaffe.
Eby's office had issued statements and social media posts commemorating International Holocaust Memorial Day in which the focus was supporting Canada's Muslim community.
"We stand with the Muslim community throughout Canada on this sorrowful day of remembrance," Eby's Twitter account posted, and a Holocaust remembrance Instagram post was headlined about a 2017 Quebec City Mosque attack.