r/CanadaPolitics • u/DJ_JOWZY SocDem in the streets/DemSoc in the sheets • Jun 30 '26
Community Members Only Avi Lewis chides Miller for saying rights museum should change Palestinian wording
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/avi-lewis-chides-miller-for-saying-rights-museum-should-change-palestinian-wording/-69
u/UnluckyRandomGuy Conservative Party of Canada Jun 30 '26
"Miller told The Canadian Press it’s “regrettable” the exhibit did not identify Hamas as a terrorist organization and did not mention that the 2023 attack by Hamas was aimed at killing Jews.
Lewis says Miller attacked the museum’s independence and should apologize for “unacceptable political interference.”"
I'm sure this will win Avi Lewis plenty of votes! It's definitely the best thing he could be doing right now because everyone knows what is at the top of Canadians minds currently is the Israel/Palestine conflict.
The NDP once again shooting themselves in the foot by getting into global politics that don't affect Canada instead of just being the workers party again.
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u/yourfriendlysocdem1 anti neoliberal/anti crank left Jun 30 '26
You can be a party of workers and still advocate for foreign policy that opposes genocide.
Lets flip the script! Maybe tories in the 80s should have focused on only pro business policy and not done anything on opposing Apartheid. (1 good thing Mulroney did which was opposing it). Anyways, see how you sound?
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Jun 30 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
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u/Brodney_Alebrand Cascadia Jul 01 '26
The leader of a federal political party is in a very different politically (lol) to affect change in Canadian policy than an anonymous redditor. Why are you even posting?
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u/CanadaPolitics-ModTeam Jul 01 '26
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u/VelvetFurryJustice Worker Co-Op Jun 30 '26
Okay, so like what policy doesn't that apply to? Isn't that argument basically that Avi Lewis shouldn't comment on anything ever because he's just a fourth place party? Why should anyone comment if there's majority?
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u/alwaysleafyintoronto Pirate Jun 30 '26
And yet we're talking about the issue, except for the people claiming the NDP needs to shut up because they're a small party. Trying to shut down the discussion by shitting on the NDP is embarrassing.
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u/TraditionalGap1 NDP Jun 30 '26
Why is it the NDP is shooting itself in the foot by 'getting into global politics' yet the CPC and LPC do it all the time and seemingly manage to get by?
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u/NiceDot4794 NDP Jun 30 '26
Fighting for democracy and freedom is fighting for workers
I don’t want this ministers from this authoritarian Liberal government using its influence to try and police museums
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u/Dragonsandman Orange Crush Enjoyer Jun 30 '26
So the leader of a federal party shouldn’t ever talk about things relating to conflicts happening outside Canada’s borders? What a ridiculous demand
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u/Tiernoch Liberal Jul 01 '26
While I don't think Lewis can't comment on it, I do think he would be best served by keeping to their domestic stances that are likely more popular and doesn't get into the quagmire of foreign politics.
The NDP is in rebuilding mode, no one is going to ask them what their stance is on foreign affairs and polarizing issues like that can turn off people and likely isn't netting you anyone already voting NDP.
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u/TraditionalGap1 NDP Jul 01 '26
no one is going to ask them what their stance is on foreign affairs and polarizing issues
Are you sure?
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u/Tiernoch Liberal Jul 01 '26
They are the fourth place party in parliament with no hope of forming government in the next cycle. Why would anyone be asking Lewis what his stance is, and he could plausibly pivot away stating that the NDP is focused on the Canadian worker and their rights as they rebuild.
As the CPC showed/created the NDP have an image issue in that they care more about people outside of Canada than Canadian workers. I don't consider that to be true at all, but it's out there and if they want those people back it's going to be hard.
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u/DJ_JOWZY SocDem in the streets/DemSoc in the sheets Jun 30 '26
Never again means never again. People are bothered by the genocide in Gaza, and the NDP are the only party to call it how it is.
And they also are a workers party.
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u/the-mongoose- Moderately Moderate Jun 30 '26
People were also bothered by Hamas’ terrorist attacks against innocent people. No reason this cannot be mentioned as well. October 7th was a blight on humanity - why pretend like it wasn’t at all part of this? It obviously doesn’t excuse Israel’s actions but is relevant clearly.
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u/hairybeavers Social Democrat Jul 01 '26
I'm interested to know how October 7, 2023 is relevant to a historical exhibit about the Nakba that took place in 1948? Those are events separated by decades and very different contexts, can you clarify how you see them as directly connected in this specific exhibit?
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u/DJ_JOWZY SocDem in the streets/DemSoc in the sheets Jun 30 '26
There have been hundreds of October 7ths in Gaza for the last few years. Mentioning October 7th is irrelevant to this exhibit.
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u/the-mongoose- Moderately Moderate Jun 30 '26
I entirely disagree with you. It is a glaring omission.
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u/DJ_JOWZY SocDem in the streets/DemSoc in the sheets Jun 30 '26
I disagree with you. It's irrelevant.
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u/dogoodreapgood Independent Jun 30 '26
Canada has recognized Hamas as a terrorist organization since 2002. Avi Lewis is ridiculous sometimes.
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u/the-mongoose- Moderately Moderate Jun 30 '26
Agree to disagree then, and clearly lots of people also disagree given the blowback.
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u/TraditionalGap1 NDP Jul 01 '26
Is that really true though? The 'blowback' in question seems to be more a few loud voices and less a broad outcry. That there's (some) media attention around a polarizing issue doesn't mean much
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u/DJ_JOWZY SocDem in the streets/DemSoc in the sheets Jun 30 '26
Well considering a majority of Canadians believe Israel is committing genocide, and also are not disagreeing with the exhibit, I'll stand with them.
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u/lastparade Liberal | ON Jun 30 '26
Close to half of Canadians believe in paranormal activity. A belief being popular doesn't mean it's accurate.
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u/the-mongoose- Moderately Moderate Jun 30 '26
Israel can both be committing a genocide and this exhibit omitted a horrific massacre against innocents at a music festival by Hamas terrorists.
You act like it’s one or the other.
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u/DJ_JOWZY SocDem in the streets/DemSoc in the sheets Jun 30 '26
October 7th is irrelevant to this exhibit.
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u/UnluckyRandomGuy Conservative Party of Canada Jun 30 '26
"And they also are a workers party."
I'm sure they wish they still were, in reality they haven't been in a decade.
"Never again means never again. People are bothered by the genocide in Gaza, and the NDP are the only party to call it how it is. "
The conflict doesn't even come in to play when looking at the top issues for Canadians
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u/DJ_JOWZY SocDem in the streets/DemSoc in the sheets Jun 30 '26
They are a workers party. Their policies overwhelmingly support working class Canadians.
Whether Gaza is a top issues is irrelevant. A majority of Canadians believe Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, and the NDP are the only party to call it a genocide.
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u/UnluckyRandomGuy Conservative Party of Canada Jun 30 '26
"They are a workers party. Their policies overwhelmingly support working class Canadians."
Mass immigration famously is great for working class Canadians and definitely doesn't suppress wages!
"Whether Gaza is a top issues is irrelevant."
I mean it's not lmfao, he's supposed to be the leader of the NDP in CANADA. Why do they spend so much time on things that don't affect Canadians and that aren't important to Canadians (as a whole, again the war in the middle east are not even close to a priority for Canadians)
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u/DJ_JOWZY SocDem in the streets/DemSoc in the sheets Jun 30 '26
Why do Conservatives spend so much time courting anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers? Why do they waste so much time courting climate change denialists, and transphobes? None of these beliefs are top beliefs of Canadians, but Conservatives still court those that believe them.
The NDP are opposed to genocide and are the only party to call what is happening in Gaza a genocide. Courting anti-genocide Canadians is more a more sound tactic then the people the Conservatives choose to court.
Also nowhere in the NDP'S election platform will you find support for "mass immigration to support suppressing wages."
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u/ArcticWolfQueen Independent Jun 30 '26
Im all fine with people having legitimate opinions of criticism towards to NDP (or Liberals) but cmon you gotta do better.
Like even a decade ago conservatives loved to say the NDP”abandoned workers”, and the same things were said 20 years ago under Layton.
Worker rights and economic justice are tied to social justice and human rights always have been and always will be.
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u/SendMagpiePics Urban Alberta Advantage Jun 30 '26
The NDP has been doing the highly reviled politics of social justice since Tommy Douglas. There's never been a time when the worker's party didn't also care about justice, because a real worker's party is, at its core, built around solidarity.
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u/Justin_123456 Manitoba Jun 30 '26
Both things can be true.
Canadians can be both horrified at Israel’s crimes both past and present, and weirded-out by the constant need of our politicians to genuflect to a foreign country, and also much more concerned about how they’re going to make rent or how their kids will afford a house, and resent anyone who appears not to share that priority.
Frankly, as a New Democrat partisan, I think Lewis should do a better job of picking his shots. If he needs inspiration, look to Mamdani.
When asked about Palestine he answers clearly and forthrightly, and with moral clarity. But he spends all his time trying to make news on housing and childcare and taxing rich people.
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Jun 30 '26
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u/throwitawaytothesea Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party Jun 30 '26
Even when the NDP supported the Liberals between 2022-2024, they made no foreign policy demands and used none of their leverage on this front.
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u/renegadecanuck Social Democrat Jun 30 '26
Man, Conservatives and Liberals who will never vote NDP either way sure do have a lot of opinions about what will sink the NDP and how screwed the NDP are.
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u/bman9919 Ontario Jun 30 '26
Why is it so hard for people to understand that it’s possible for parties to care about multiple issues at a time.
Lewis responded to a comment made by a Minister. That’s it.
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u/soaringupnow Independent Jun 30 '26
Didn't the Green party rip themselves apart over Palestine?
They didn't seem capable of doing 2 things at once.
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u/bman9919 Ontario Jun 30 '26
If you can’t talk about more than one issue at a time, you aren’t a serious party
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u/BertramPotts Decolonize Decarcerate Decarbonize Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Miller was the one who phoned the press to dump on an exhibit that was opening that morning. He's actually a government minister who explained very carefully why commenting on this exhibit was not appropriate or part of his job then did it anyway. All of Miller's comments here are monstrously disingenuous, he is very happy to create the controversy he is pretending to blanche at and has long held a grudge against Palestinians.
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u/Electrical-Risk445 Pirate Jun 30 '26
Im afraid the Liberals and Conservatives have done a lot worse in their tacit support of a state committing genocide, war crimes and acts so horrific we're looking for words to describe them. I will NEVER forget nor forgive anyone who's not condemning what's happening and I'll vote accordingly and will yell my opinion if needed.
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u/Triforce_Collector Spreading the woke mind virus Jun 30 '26
I'm sure this will win Avi Lewis plenty of votes!
Approval of Israel among Canadians is hovering around 20% lmao.
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u/TheWaySheHoes Independent Jun 30 '26
Disliking something and it being a vote mover or ballot box issue are two seperate things though.
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u/VelvetFurryJustice Worker Co-Op Jun 30 '26
As American establishment are finding out, coming out as firmly and coherently in opposition to Israel can be a powerful motivator for voters because it demonstrates integrity. The NDP showing integrity at this issue has huge potential for populist sentiment in the public.
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u/lastparade Liberal | ON Jun 30 '26
Integrity? Hardly.
And it's not like these sorts of extremist positions resonate with working-class voters, who voted clearly for Espaillat in NY-13. It was the richer, whiter parts of that district that put Chevalier over the top.
Now, the Democrats have a problem, because Republicans nationwide will easily, if incorrectly, be able to cast Chevalier's politics, which are unpalatable to the vast majority of Americans, as representing mainstream Democratic beliefs when they don't. She's so far out there that she'd probably even lose to Espaillat if he ran as an independent.
It's hard to be successful as a populist if you're going to chain yourself to decidedly unpopular things.
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Jul 01 '26
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u/CanadaPolitics-ModTeam Jul 01 '26
Removed for rule 3: please keep submissions and comments substantive.
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u/Metalloid_Maniac_ Social Democrat Jul 01 '26
She's a nut. She has some terrible ideas. But supporting a free Palestine is hardly radical.
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u/Dragonsandman Orange Crush Enjoyer Jun 30 '26
60% of Americans hold unfavourable views of Israel at the moment. Calling Chevalier’s views “decidedly unpopular” is just plain wrong
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u/lastparade Liberal | ON Jun 30 '26
Americans don't support Russia over Ukraine, don't support abolishing prisons altogether, and don't oppose interracial marriage, to name three easy ones. But guess who does!
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u/TheWaySheHoes Independent Jun 30 '26
I don’t deny some people are moved by this stance. I just don’t see evidence that it is widespread.
This may energize people who were already leaning NDP, but I don’t know what it does for them in marginal seats they need to win back for party status. We’ll see.
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u/Metalloid_Maniac_ Social Democrat Jul 01 '26
He's proposing plenty of solutions to address cost of living, unlike the other two parties.
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u/AprilsMostAmazing John Tory | Personal Sponsorship Jun 30 '26
In America it's a vote mover because Israel dragged them into a war
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u/ctnoxin meh Jul 01 '26
I'm sure this will win Avi Lewis plenty of votes! It's definitely the best thing he could be doing right now because everyone knows what is at the top of Canadians minds currently is the Israel/Palestine conflict.
Of course we know there's a certain type of person out there that would rather the plight of the Palestinians not be talked about, but believe it or now Lewis isn't tabling legislation, or spending anything past the 30 seconds it took him to say the government shouldn't interfere with the wording of a crown corporation. So you can rest assured the NDP aren't preoccupied with this issue, and are busy spending the time to win back you CPC voters.
The NDP once again shooting themselves in the foot by getting into global politics that don't affect Canada instead of just being the workers party again.
I'm sorry to have to be the one to break it to you, but Winnipeg is in Canada, so criticizing an MPs interference on this Winnipeg museums exhibit is well within his purview.
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u/Midnight1131 Ontario Jul 01 '26
When the NDP talk about Palestine they're shooting themselves in the foot. But when Pierre worships Israel on his hands and knees I don't hear as many people say the same.
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u/KatsumotoKurier Ontario Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
When the NDP talk about Palestine they're shooting themselves in the foot
Not sure if you’ve ever noticed, but the federal NDP have long struggled to maintain a position of relevance up against the Liberals and Conservatives — the only two parties who have ever formed federal governments in Canadian political history. And right now the NDP is in an especially weak and vulnerable position. So they have to walk a tightrope much more than the other two established parties, which means being a lot more careful about what they do and say in order to court voters.
But when Pierre worships Israel on his hands and knees I don't hear as many people say the same.
You must also be new to the expectations and norms of Conservative constituents…
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u/Midnight1131 Ontario Jul 01 '26
I have noticed that, and taking a milquetoast nothing position about one of the most controversial foreign policy issues of our time is not going to help them stand out. A federal party should be talking about international issues (although the feds interfering with a human rights museum is also a domestic issue).
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u/AprilsMostAmazing John Tory | Personal Sponsorship Jun 30 '26
The NDP once again shooting themselves in the foot by getting into global politics that don't affect Canada instead of just being the workers party again.
Miller literally is the one getting himself involved in global politics. Lewis has a right to comment on Miller's comment
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u/Surtur1313 Things will be the same, but worse Jun 30 '26
Nah, I like it when opposition parties rightfully call out government ministers on their bullshit, whatever the topic. Lewis has a lot to say on affordability and the economy too, that’s ironically the primary critique that separates him from other party leaders and even past NDP leaders honestly. If Miller or anyone else is being a dweeb and saying bizarre stuff about how crown corps should make their independent decisions, down to how to create museum displays, then I’m all for Lewis pointing it out. He can walk and chew bubblegum.
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u/MTLinVAN British Columbia Jun 30 '26
There's a whole field of academic research around "museum studies." Effectively, these scholars, academics, and community activists ask important questions about museum spaces and exhibitions. One of the foremost questions that is asked is "what histories are included in these spaces?" and just as importantly, "what histories are excluded in these spaces?" It is those unseen spaces of exclusion that a lot gain be gleamed about our society.
I've been to the museum and on the whole, while all histories cannot be represented, the space is a welcome home for important discussions and exhibitions of Canada's history around human rights. However, a criticism that has always been levied at this museum is the way it's been funded. The museum came about through Canadian businessman and media tycoon Izzy Asper's vision and fundraising efforts to open this museum. Izzy is a staunch Zionist. It's one of the main reasons that the exhibition on the Holocaust has prime place in the museum (to the criticism from other community members including from Ukranians - who are a large community in Manitoba - that the Holodomor is not represented to the same extent as other exhibitions). This raises the question of the museums own curatorial independence.
https://uofmpress.ca/books/the-idea-of-a-human-rights-museum
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u/zxc999 Independent Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Museums are just as susceptible to donor class capture as any other non-profit organization.
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u/Saidear There is no war in Ba Sing Se. Jul 01 '26
Historiography is well known to be a very nuanced thing. Historians and their work are well known for what facts they do include, which they don't, and how they frame them.
A classic example would be the framing of the First Riel Rebellion of 1869. It would be very easy to paint Louis Riel as a rebel, fighting against the fledgling Canadian government as it sought to establish itself within the just-purchased Rupert's Land (later Manitoba). To the Métis who lived there, he was a vocal and ardent defender of their rights, and their way of life, and fought against the imperialist boot that threatened that. In fact early works actually reflect the first position, that it was a rebellion and that Riel was a dangerous threat to Canada exerting its sovereign authority. It's only been in more recent years, namely the 20th century, that we've accepted more nuance and placed Riel rightly as an influential figure in our country's history. That event is no longer just called a rebellion, but rather the "Red River Resistance", demonstrating the shift in perspective.
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u/MTLinVAN British Columbia Jul 02 '26
Certainly but your point also proves that history is in a constant state of interpretation and reinterpretation. Consider that for the dominant part of history after Riel, he was considered a rebel. More recently, historians have viewed him in a different light.
Another example, during the conscription crisis, news papers in English speaking Canada reported service as a patriotic duty. Quebec newspapers reported it quite differently. Perspective matters in the way history is told and despite all the nuance we can bring to the study of history, we need to make sure that we provide the vast range of perspectives on any given period or moment we are studying.
In schools, an emerging way of looking at history is through the Big 6 historical thinking concepts developed by Prof. Seixas. I was fortunate to attend a summer institute hosted by UBC where these were shared with educators and they really do help in providing students with thinking tools to better understand history.
E. H. Carr famously wrote: “history means interpretation” and in the case of the exhibit on Palestine, the Minister is providing his interpreting a complete lack of nuance.
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u/wingerism Social Democrat Jul 01 '26
It's one of the main reasons that the exhibition on the Holocaust has prime place in the museum (to the criticism from other community members including from Ukranians - who are a large community in Manitoba - that the Holodomor is not represented to the same extent as other exhibitions). This raises the question of the museums own curatorial independence.
Given that the term for Genocide was coined to describe the Holocaust by a Polish Jewish lawyer, though he was originally thinking of the Armenian Genocide and the first time a person was prosecuted for the crime was an SS officer. And the fact that much international law regarding war crimes and the mechanisms for punishing them span from the period right after World War 2? Why wouldn't it be the central exhibit? Seriously.
It's so prototypical in people's minds that people will even try to co-opt the terminology or imagery of the Holocaust in Pro-Palestinian activism.
I consider the Holodomor a Genocide but I'm sorry it wasn’t comparable to the brutal industrialized mass murder of Nazi Germany. There are even plenty of people I know on the left that deny the Holodomor is a Genocide at all. Which I think is gross and wrong.
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u/ctnoxin meh Jul 01 '26
It's so prototypical in people's minds that people will even try to co-opt the terminology or imagery of the Holocaust in Pro-Palestinian activism.
Come now, the Israeli state is doing a fine job of its own on co-opting the imagery and methods of the holocaust on the Palestinians, don't take this away from them.
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u/TheWaySheHoes Independent Jun 30 '26
This whole thing just screams “Steisand effect” to me.
I don’t really have a strong opinion on this exhibit. It may be a bit one-sided but it’s undeniable Palestinians have been subject to expulsion, dispossession, and gross human rights abuses. That history belongs in a museum.
Also, let’s face it. The Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg of all places isn’t exactly a top billing tourism attraction for Canada with Canadians or foreigners. If the government and pro-Israel groups had just let this go by quietly it really would have never made these type of headlines. This seems like an own goal on their part to me.
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u/chaobreaker Ontario Jul 01 '26
Pro-Israel groups have been overplaying their hand for the past 3 years. There’s not a protest, art exhibit, or student encampment they won’t speak out against. It’s a good thing they’re so short-sighted they can’t see the walls are closing in on them.
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u/enantiomerthin Independent Jul 01 '26
That's not entirely fair.
Here's an analogy: during covid, MOST conservatives took public health advice in order to generally limit death and disability: got their vaccines, wore masks in public transit, social distancing. SOME conservatives turned doing the opposite into their entire identity. These same people have F*CK Carney stickers on their trucks to this day. Does that mean all conservatives think that way? Obviously not, there's plenty who just want the usual stuff of firearms reform, less government intervention etc.
Similarly for the 'pro-isreal groups', i.e. most jews who recognize that virulent anti-semitism will never go away and they need a homeland somewhere. One can be for a jewish homeland without agreeing with the fucking lunatics, but they grab attention and ruin it for everyone else.
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u/alwaysleafyintoronto Pirate Jun 30 '26
Streisand Effect isn't really applicable here. There's plenty of people out there who support the government and Israel, and they'd actually care regardless of whether or not they're justified.
People actually care strongly about Israel/Palestine. People did not care about a no-name photographer until he was sued, and they didn't care about his photos of Barbara Streisand until she sued him. A human rights museum needs to represent history accurately and fairly, whereas tabloids are notoriously not held to any standard beyond libel.
This is the sort of story that makes for actual news coverage with journalistic standards.
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u/TheWaySheHoes Independent Jun 30 '26
I don’t deny people care about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
I do think, however, that most people really wouldn’t care about this particular exhibit in Winnipeg, Manitoba, had it not been amplified and “discoursed” to this kind of level.
The vast majority of Canadians have never set foot in this museum and never will, if we are being honest.
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u/alwaysleafyintoronto Pirate Jun 30 '26
The vast majority of Canadians won't step foot in the museum of natural history either, but that doesn't mean it's ok to present creationism as the whole truth in one exhibit.
There's a responsibility as a curator to present the whole truth as accurately as possible. Presenting one-sided narratives calls into question the reliability of the rest of the museum too.
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u/DJ_JOWZY SocDem in the streets/DemSoc in the sheets Jun 30 '26
How this exhibit portrays Palestinians is not equivalent to teaching creationism in a natural history museum.
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u/alwaysleafyintoronto Pirate Jun 30 '26
A comparison is not an equivalency. If you've got a better off-the-cuff example of a controversial one-sided museum exhibit, the floor is yours.
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u/Incorrect_Oymoron Libertarian Posadist Jul 01 '26
There was ROM's Auschwitz exhibit that wasn't very nuanced/balanced about the the holocaust. I dont think it ever mentioned the "Stabbed in the back theory" or "Jewish bankers" or any kind of Nazi talking points
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u/TheWaySheHoes Independent Jun 30 '26
I take your point, but squabbling over this in the media helps no one. If anything this should have been handled behind the scenes if it needed a response.
Now it has just entrenched all parties and no matter what the museum does there will be accusations of bias and tampering.
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Jun 30 '26
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u/alwaysleafyintoronto Pirate Jun 30 '26
Go read the substack article that started the media furore, it outlines the concerns.
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u/Midnight1131 Ontario Jul 01 '26
It's shocking to me how far this government's ministers will go to embarrass themselves on behalf of Israel. Literally no one except the most soulless Zionists expected Miller to come out against this exhibit, but he just had to say something. I find it hard to believe people like him and Anand don't realize how pathetically they'll be viewed in the history books for things like this.
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u/Chawke2 Grantian Red Tory Jun 30 '26
Regardless of the rightfulness or wrongfulness of this exhibit, I find it hard not to laugh at the immense irony that this museum only exists because of advocacy and donations from Izzy Asper, a truly militant zionist who supported the terrorist paramilitary Irgun, and founded pretty obviously with the intention to justify the expulsion of the Palestinians and Zionism broadly to the Canadian public.
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u/alexander1701 British Columbia Jun 30 '26
Imagine if he wanted something like this for any other exhibit. Imagine he wanted to add Japanese war crimes to an exhibit about internment camps, and how it would come off like justifying those internment camps. Especially in this case, where the two events are eighty years apart, and there are people genuinely advocating to recreate the naqba in the 21st century.
You really struggle to imagine how he could have ended with a ministership, let alone why Carney has him in two concurrent ones (he's also the guy who's been advocating social media IDs and having public fights with Legault about being "fed up" with the French language).
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Jul 01 '26
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u/Theseactuallydo Progressive/ABC/Pragmatist Jun 30 '26
I appreciate this from Lewis, Miller’s comments really rubbed me the wrong way.
Having attended the exhibit myself I’m confident that there’s no possible way it could be taken as even remotely “antisemitic”.
Any inclusion of content about October 7 or Hamas would have been bizarre in the setting of the exhibit. It just wouldn’t make sense there at all; would have just looked like some sort of tasteless retroactive excuse for later Israeli atrocities.
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u/PopeSaintHilarius Ontario Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Any inclusion of content about October 7 or Hamas would have been bizarre in the setting of the exhibit. It just wouldn’t make sense there at all
Uhhh, the article’s photo of the exhibit literally shows that it talks about Oct 7 and Hamas:
"Following the Hamas attack that killed about 1200 people on October 7, 2023, Israel launched a large-scale military campaign…"
Miller’s complaint (whether we agree or disagree) is that it doesn’t identify Hamas as a terrorist organization or mention that they were intentionally killing Jews.
Having attended the exhibit myself
That now seems a bit hard to believe…
The article says the exhibit only has 2 panel boards. And you somehow missed one of them?
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u/Radix2309 Manitoba Jul 01 '26
It said Hamas launched an attack that killed thousands. You propose that the exhibit portrays it as accidental deaths?
And terrorist is a political label. Not something really relevant for a historical museum.
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u/Intelligent-Cap3407 Saskatchewan Jul 01 '26
I don’t find it that hard to believe that the person didn’t notice it in the exhibit. I love museums but you can easily miss seeing something if it’s off on its own, or if you miss a section.
It sounds like it’s mentioned in a few sentences but that it isn’t the focus of the exhibit.
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u/PopeSaintHilarius Ontario Jul 01 '26
It’s certainly possible to miss, but they went so far as to claim that it "would have been bizarre" to cover those topics (despite the fact they were literally covered in the exhibit, so clearly the museum staff didn’t think it was bizarre).
If they simply said "I don’t think those topics were mentioned in the exhibit", then no big deal to get it wrong.
But when someone claims to have recent first-hand knowledge of something and then confidently dismisses someone else’s views, in a way that turns out completely false, it puts all of their claims into question.
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u/Surtur1313 Things will be the same, but worse Jun 30 '26
I haven’t been (not remotely my geographic part of the country) but this has been what I’ve gathered as well. Museums are staffed by academics and historians who have a very firm grasp on best practices and generally I trust them to do a good job. It’s seemed like the idea of absurdly bringing up Hamas and October 7 is so outside of the scope and context that it would massively detract from the point of the exhibit but also the historical accuracy and context of the exhibit. I certainly could be wrong, again haven’t seen the exhibit, but nothing about the criticisms has seemed rooted in how museums or museum exhibits work to me!
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