(CBC) Inside a packed room at the Ukrainian Labour Temple in Winnipeg’s North End Friday night, Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour began by addressing the controversy surrounding her appearance there.
“It is I — I am the drama that you heard about before you got here. This is it,” she said, arms outstretched, to laughter and cheers from the crowd.
Outside and across the street, a few dozen protesters, many holding Israeli flags, denounced Sarsour and the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, which organized the panel that included Sarsour. For weeks, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and B’Nai Brith have called on the council to disinvite Sarsour over her past comments, which they say promote anti-Semitic tropes and question the foundation of the state of Israel.
