Winnipeg Honors Hate: A City Betrays Its Jews

Ramsey Zeid, president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba (CPAM) and co-owner of Food Fare grocery stores, recently received the City of Winnipeg’s Mayor’s Biz Award.

The award, organized by the Mayor’s office to honor business and community leaders, was given to Zeid’s business, nominated by the West Broadway BIZ, where City Councillor Sherri Rollins serves on the board. The decision has sparked outrage due to Zeid’s social media activity, which critics argue promotes antisemitism and violence.

According to reports, Zeid shared a video from a group called “metamofysis” on CPAM’s official social media, which labels Israel a “terrorist foreign entity,” describes Zionists as “demonic,” and calls for a “global violent intifada.” The video advocates for coordinated sabotage targeting city halls, logistics chains, and corporations, urging “non-peaceful disruptors” to act, ending with the phrase, “There is no solution but intifada revolution. Intifada until liberation, or we scorch the earth.”

Zeid also posted content calling Zionism a “disease that must be destroyed,” statements that critics, including Councillor Sherri Rollins, argue target Jewish people and incite violence. Rollins, who is Jewish and Zionist, wrote an open letter on May 26th, demanding that Mayor Scott Gillingham rescind the award, citing Zeid’s posts as “thinly veiled calls to violence” and referencing a public list shared by Zeid that targeted her and her daughter among other Jewish individuals.

Mayor Gillingham has resisted calls to revoke the award, arguing it was given to a business, not an individual, and that Rollins should address her concerns with the West Broadway BIZ board. He condemned the video as “concerning” but emphasized there is “no room for antisemitism or Islamophobia” in Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg Police Service is investigating the video for potential hate crimes, noting that such investigations are complex and ongoing, with no specific individual linked to the video at this time. Zeid, in response, told CBC News he is seeking legal advice and cannot comment further, but he feels honored by the award for his efforts to help Winnipeggers amid rising poverty.

The controversy has drawn broader attention. B’nai Brith Canada and other Jewish advocacy groups have condemned Zeid’s rhetoric, pointing to the real-world implications of such language, especially following the recent murder of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington, D.C., by an individual echoing similar anti-Zionist slogans.

Critics argue that Zeid’s platform as a civic leader amplifies the danger of his posts, potentially mobilizing followers toward violence. Meanwhile, Zeid has defended his stance, describing Gaza as an “open-air prison” and calling Palestinian resistance as a response to oppression, though he expressed regret for the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.