Jewish advocacy groups have signed a joint letter demanding a public apology from Vancouver’s new far-left councillor, Sean Orr, over what they call antisemitic social media posts.
Sean Orr, the self-described “communist” city councillor who views North Korea as an example of communism, has attracted the ire of Vancouver-based Jewish groups and their allies after a number of the councillor’s past criticisms of Israel.
“Antisemitism—whether expressed overtly or cloaked in the language of political discourse—has no place in our society, let alone among our elected officials,” the letter penned by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver said. “Councillor Orr’s comments have caused harm to the Jewish community and have eroded trust in his ability to represent all residents of Vancouver.”
One such comment the groups point to as an example was posted just 23 days after the Hamas-led October 7 massacre where 1,200 Israelis were killed, and hundreds more, including babies, were taken hostage. Orr accused Israel of committing genocide. On October 27, 2023, he said that Israel, who began firing rockets against Hamas in Gaza, “very much did start the war.”
In June of 2021, Orr said he wanted to see the destruction of “both Israel and Canada.”
Nearing the one-year mark of the fatal October 7 attack, Orr stated that it was Israel and not Hamas who should return “hostages” and stop firing missiles. The “hostages” Orr is referring to are likely prisoners Israeli authorities have arrested for a wide range of crimes, including terrorism, murder, and kidnapping.
In another post about Gazan citizens celebrating Iran’s attack on Israel, Orr did not condemn Iran’s indiscriminate missile attacks. He replied, “Resistance is existence. From Turtle Island to Palestine.”
CIJA and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver are calling on Orr to “immediately retract his harmful statements”, issue an “unequivocal” public apology, and commit to engaging in “serious education about antisemitism.” They also called on political and civic leaders to condemn the communist councillors’ statements.
Another post from 2021 included a nod to an antisemitic conspiracy theory that a secret cabal of Jews controlled the city. “Everyone knows Vancouver City planners are controlled by a secret cabal of Jews who have a bunker in the earth’s core fml,” the post said.
CIJA and the Jewish Federation said the statement “invokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope alleging Jewish control of political and economic systems—myths that have fueled discrimination, exclusion, and violence against Jews throughout history.”
B.C. Conservative party leader John Rustad echoed the Jewish groups’ calls to action, saying Orr’s first day as councillor should include an apology for his “past antisemitism and comments towards city staff.”
In a social media post, Orr said the post was taken out of context and his comments were said sarcastically against someone who used the term “globalist shill,” which he claimed was an “antisemitic dog whistle.”
Despite feeling that the one comment was taken out of context, Orr doubled down on the rest.
“Criticizing the far-right Netanyahu govt for committing war crimes against civilian populations is the right thing to do. Criticizing that is not antisemitism,” Orr said. “In this climate of resurgent fascism and the rise of the far right, we must all be vigilant and stand up against hate. I will always stand up for communities who are attacked or scapegoated.”
Nico Slobinsky, the Vice President of CIJA replied in a post on X saying his response to the Jewish communities concerns was “deeply disappointing.”
“Instead of taking responsibility, he has chosen to deflect, excuse, and double down,” Slobinsky said.
One anti-Israel group defended Orr, saying the concerns raised by the Jewish community groups were “bad faith attacks.”
“Councillor Orr has shown integrity and courage in condemning Israeli war crimes and speaking out in defence of Palestinian human rights,” the Independent Jewish Voices said. “We need more elected officials like Sean Orr—leaders with the courage to speak uncomfortable truths, resist the politicized weaponization of antisemitism, and uphold universal human rights.”
Notably, a 2024 survey which is cited on the Canadian Government website showed that “91 per cent of Canadian Jews believe Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state, six per cent say they don’t know, and three per cent said that Israel does not have the right to exist as a Jewish state.”
Jewish advocacy groups such as B’nai Brith Canada have pointed to these stats to indicate that anti-Israel groups such as Independent Jewish Voices do not represent more than a small fraction of Jews in Canada.