From The Toronto Star.
Trudeau said everyone has a role to play to ensure Canadians are there for each other, and treat people with understanding and compassion rather than playing to stereotypes.
“But I also need to make sure we are calling out incidents of antisemitism wherever they rear their heads.
The cartoon, by (US cartoonist Gary Varvel), was published in Wednesday’s edition, and depicts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who is Jewish, walking alongside U.S. President Joe Biden, with Zelenskyy appearing to pull a wallet out of Biden's back pocket.
The drawing of Zelenskyy exaggerates his facial features in a manner commonly seen in antisemitic caricature.
The cartoon has also been criticized for amplifying Russian propaganda and encouraging the anti-Ukraine sentiment that's now part of U.S. political discourse.
Zelenskyy travelled to D.C. last week to try and secure more aid for his country's fight against Russia amid growing skepticism in some Republican quarters about continuing to support Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress said they were "disgusted by the disgraceful cartoon," which they described as hateful and Kremlin-inspired propaganda, calling on the Sun to take it down and issue an apology.
The drawing of Zelenskyy exaggerates his facial features in a manner commonly seen in antisemitic caricature.
The cartoon has also been criticized for amplifying Russian propaganda and encouraging the anti-Ukraine sentiment that's now part of U.S. political discourse.
Zelenskyy travelled to D.C. last week to try and secure more aid for his country's fight against Russia amid growing skepticism in some Republican quarters about continuing to support Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress said they were "disgusted by the disgraceful cartoon," which they described as hateful and Kremlin-inspired propaganda, calling on the Sun to take it down and issue an apology.
In a letter to the editor of the Sun that was published Thursday, a reader complained the paper was sounding “just like Russian 'Trumped-up' stooges” and in reply, the paper wrote "editorial cartoons are meant to exaggerate sentiment and like it or not, many Americans feel this way.”
The cartoon was on the Sun's website Thursday morning, but was removed by early afternoon, and afterwards, the newspaper's editor-in-chief posted an apology.
The Sun was wrong to run the cartoon, and works by the cartoonist would no longer be used in their paper in the future, Adrienne Batra said.
She said the cartoon "falsely implied" American aid to Ukraine involves theft, calling it hurtful both to Canadians of Ukrainian origin and to all Ukrainians fighting against Russia.
She said it also used antisemitic stereotypes in its depiction of Zelenskyy, saying that was hurtful to Canadians of Jewish origin and to the Jewish people.
"We failed them and we failed all of you, our readers," she wrote. "We promise to do better in the future."
The paper has run several editorials in recent weeks condemning the rise of antisemitism in Canada, calling on politicians at all levels of government to denounce and address it more forcefully.
The Toronto police said this week that since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, there have been 56 antisemitic hate crimes reported, compared to 18 during the same time period last year.
The cartoon was on the Sun's website Thursday morning, but was removed by early afternoon, and afterwards, the newspaper's editor-in-chief posted an apology.
The Sun was wrong to run the cartoon, and works by the cartoonist would no longer be used in their paper in the future, Adrienne Batra said.
She said the cartoon "falsely implied" American aid to Ukraine involves theft, calling it hurtful both to Canadians of Ukrainian origin and to all Ukrainians fighting against Russia.
She said it also used antisemitic stereotypes in its depiction of Zelenskyy, saying that was hurtful to Canadians of Jewish origin and to the Jewish people.
"We failed them and we failed all of you, our readers," she wrote. "We promise to do better in the future."
The paper has run several editorials in recent weeks condemning the rise of antisemitism in Canada, calling on politicians at all levels of government to denounce and address it more forcefully.
The Toronto police said this week that since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, there have been 56 antisemitic hate crimes reported, compared to 18 during the same time period last year.
Those represent 53 per cent of all reported hate crimes in Toronto during that time period.
Trudeau also noted the arrest last Friday of a 15-year-old in Ottawa alleged to have been plotting a terrorist attack against the Jewish community.
"I'm particularly concerned about the rise in antisemitism that we're seeing because we all have a role to play in standing against intolerance and antisemitism and in supporting people," he said.
"The concerning situation that led to an arrest in the Ottawa region very recently is something we're going to continue to be vigilant about."
Trudeau also noted the arrest last Friday of a 15-year-old in Ottawa alleged to have been plotting a terrorist attack against the Jewish community.
"I'm particularly concerned about the rise in antisemitism that we're seeing because we all have a role to play in standing against intolerance and antisemitism and in supporting people," he said.
"The concerning situation that led to an arrest in the Ottawa region very recently is something we're going to continue to be vigilant about."
UPDATE
Mike Peterson comments on the controversy in The Daily Cartoonist.
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