# Report Launch: Anti-Palestinian Racism Report by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlVCncTSf_M
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/UlVCncTSf_M

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## Quick Overview

The Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA) launched its Anti-Palestinian Racism (APR) Report, which defines APR as a form of anti-Arab racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, defames, or dehumanizes Palestinians or their narratives, aiming to empower those working on Palestine by providing a framework to name and address these distinct experiences of racism.

**Key Points:**
- The Anti-Palestinian Racism (APR) Report defines APR as 'a form of anti-Arab racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, defames, or dehumanizes Palestinians or their narratives.'
- APR manifests in various forms, including denying the Nakba, justifying violence against Palestinians, and defaming Palestinians and their allies with slander such as being inherently anti-Semitic or a terrorist threat.
- The report emphasizes that APR is a distinct form of racism, not fully captured by existing frameworks like Islamophobia, and asserts that racism is the appropriate construct given Israel's widely accepted status as an apartheid state.
- A key characteristic is the 'Palestine exception,' where rights like academic freedom, protected for others, are denied to Palestinians, as seen in the University of Toronto's de-hiring of Dr. Azarova.
- Anti-Palestinian racism impacts both Palestinians and non-Palestinian advocates, though the consequences differ, with Palestinians often facing more profound harms due to their inability to change their identity.
- The report aims to address the erasure and exclusion of Palestinians, counter punitive measures, and eliminate the self-doubt, fear, and isolation experienced by those working on Palestine.
- The ACLA encourages using the report as an empowering tool for education and advocacy, and has created an online self-reporting tool for data collection on anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism.

**Context:** The webinar launched the Anti-Palestinian Racism (APR) Report by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA), co-sponsored by the University of Toronto's Hearing Palestine initiative and the Health Workers Alliance for Palestine (HAP). The report's development was spurred by the September 2020 University of Toronto scandal, where a human rights lawyer, Dr. Valentina Azarova, was de-hired from a faculty position after a donor warned against her hiring due to her scholarship on Palestine-Israel. This incident highlighted a broader pattern of systemic racism and silencing against Palestinians and their allies in Canada, prompting the ACLA to develop a framework to name and address these distinct experiences.

## Detailed Analysis

The Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA) launched its comprehensive report on Anti-Palestinian Racism (APR), developed in response to systemic issues like the University of Toronto's de-hiring of Dr. Azarova due to her scholarship on Palestine. The report defines APR as a form of anti-Arab racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, defames, or dehumanizes Palestinians or their narratives, encompassing actions like denying the Nakba, justifying violence, erasing Palestinian human rights, excluding Palestinian perspectives, and defaming allies as anti-Semitic or terrorist sympathizers. The ACLA shifted from a rigid 'definition' to a 'description, naming, and framing' approach to ensure inclusivity and prevent the framework from being weaponized or used as a distraction. The report emphasizes that APR is a distinct form of racism, not fully captured by Islamophobia, and highlights the 'Palestine exception' where rights protected for others are denied to Palestinians. It acknowledges that APR impacts both Palestinians and non-Palestinian allies, though with differing consequences, and explores the intersectionality of APR with other identities. Ultimately, the report aims to address the erasure and exclusion of Palestinians, counter punitive tactics, and eliminate the self-doubt, fear, and isolation experienced by those advocating for Palestine, serving as a user-centered tool for empowerment and discourse.

### Report Genesis and Development

- The report was sparked by the University of Toronto's de-hiring of Dr. Azarova in September 2020 due due to her Palestine-Israel scholarship, which revealed systemic anti-Palestinian racism
- ACLA filed a submission to the Cromwell review in February 2021, using an anti-Palestinian racism lens, and found no existing academic articles on the topic
- ACLA developed a working definition and conducted extensive consultations and surveys with stakeholders across Canada, the US, Europe, and Palestine, leading to a shift from a rigid 'definition' to a more inclusive 'description, naming, and framing' approach.

### Defining Anti-Palestinian Racism (APR)

- APR is described as 'a form of anti-Arab racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, defames, or dehumanizes Palestinians or their narratives'
- It includes denying the Nakba, justifying violence against Palestinians, and failing to acknowledge Palestinians as an indigenous people with collective rights
- APR also involves erasing Palestinian human rights, excluding Palestinian perspectives and allies, and defaming Palestinians and their allies as inherently anti-Semitic or terrorist sympathizers.

### Key Characteristics and Manifestations of APR

- Anti-Palestinian racism is a distinct form of racism, not fully captured by Islamophobia or anti-Arab racism, and needs to be named and addressed as such
- Racism is the appropriate construct to describe these experiences, as Israel's treatment of Palestinians is widely accepted as apartheid, predicated on the superiority and dominance of one group
- The 'Palestine exception' means that while the rights of others are protected, they are often not protected for Palestinians, particularly in academic freedom contexts
- APR impacts both Palestinians and non-Palestinian advocates, though the consequences and profoundness of harm can differ, as Palestinians cannot change their identity and may face more precarious positions.

### Intersectionality and Impact of APR

- The report addresses the impact of intersectionality, noting that Palestinians or non-Palestinians with additional identities experience APR differently, with their other identities sometimes leveraged in the racism
- Examples include queer advocates being labeled 'traitors' or racialized women being offered narrow positions if they critique Palestinian society
- APR also targets other anti-racist activists, such as those in Black Lives Matter, to discourage cross-solidarities by falsely labeling them as anti-Semitic.

### Purpose and Use of the Report

- The report aims to address the erasure and exclusion of Palestinians and their narratives from the public sphere, which occurs through punitive measures or fear of such measures
- It seeks to counter tactics like defaming character, false accusations of hate or anti-Semitism, denying opportunities, and dehumanizing Palestinians
- The report intends to eliminate the self-doubt, fear, and isolation experienced by those working on Palestine, providing a 'bottom-down, user-centered, and direct approach'
- It is not a response to the IHRA definition but rather a tool for sharing Palestinian narratives and empowering the community to speak about their experiences.

### Community Engagement and Future Steps

- The report encourages users to share it, educate their environments (school boards, HR departments, politicians, media), and train one another on its context
- An online self-reporting tool for anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism is available on the ACLA website for data collection, which will inform ongoing work.