A Jewish group is demanding Mississauga mayor Carolyn Parrish apologize for comparing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to activist Nelson Mandela
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“We are calling on the Mississauga community and allies to reach out urgently to their Mississauga City Councillor and demand accountability for Mayor Carolyn Parrish’s divisive actions and statements.”
CIJA called on the city council to censure the mayor if she does not apologize by Friday.
The Jewish group also encouraged people to register a complaint with the integrity commissioner and shared that it had unearthed a 2015 social media post from Parrish that was published when she was a local city councillor.
“I don’t get into discussions with Zionists,” the January 2015 tweet says. “Have tried in past&found it (a) fruitless exercise. Been to Palestine. Know what’s up.”
CIJA urged Parrish to clarify if her views remain the same. “Is this why she has refused to apologize?” CIJA asked in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
National Post did not hear back from the mayor’s office requesting comment on CIJA’s statement and on whether she stands by her comparison of terror leader Sinwar to Mandela.
Parrish’s impression of Israel, according to Frum, was reinforced by Palestinian misinformation alleging that the Jewish state killed hundreds in the Jenin refugee camp in April 2002, following a Hamas suicide bombing during the Second Intifada, despite news reports to the contrary.
Frum also summarized an interview Parrish gave to Al Ahram, an Egyptian outlet, in which she said concerns of antisemitism had been exaggerated in North America.
“While initially it was shocking that Mayor Parrish continuously refused to acknowledge the harmful and divisive nature of a vigil to commemorate the architect of the Oct. 7 massacre, and then deeply troubling for her to compare that terrorist to Nelson Mandela, revelations of her decade-plus long history of anti-Zionist statements allows us to see these actions through a new lens — one of bias — that makes her disregard for the concerns of the Jewish community sadly unsurprising,” Michelle Stock, vice president of CIJA Ontario, told the Post in a statement.
“A mayor’s duty is to her constituents — all her constituents. The events of the past 10 days have shown, however, that Mayor Parrish’s Jewish constituents are of little consequence to her,” Stock added. “Her bias will only serve to embolden those with antisemitic agendas who see her actions as endorsing their cause.”
Tensions have escalated in Mississauga after a planned vigil honouring Sinwar was scheduled for late November, with Parrish initially giving mixed signals about whether the event was happening. On Saturday, the organizer cancelled the commemoration, citing security concerns. The group has staunchly supported Parrish’s handling of the controversy and repeated her comparison of Sinwar and Mandela.
“Charter rights are not absolute and must be balanced with the rights of others. City Security Officers and Peel Police will be present at the event to manage the crowds and ensure that the event remains peaceful.”
Those limits were put to the test when anti-Israel protesters marched through Mississauga on Nov. 16. “Our purpose is Allah. Jihad is our path. Death in the way of Allah is our best aspiration. Allah is the greatest. Al-Quds, onwards, to Jerusalem, martyrs in our millions,” they chanted, according to the translation in a video shared by CIJA.
Peel Police told the Post it was aware of the demonstration and that “11 Division Criminal Investigations Bureau is actively investigating the matter.”
“Peel Regional Police will not tolerate any acts of hate in our community. Resources have been allocated to manage the protests and investigate any related criminal acts, including hate crimes,” spokesman Richard Chin said in an emailed statement.
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