Edmonton councillor calls for removal of Israel pavilion from Heritage Festival

Ward Papastew Councillor Michael Janz has called for the removal of the Israel pavilion from the upcoming Heritage Festival, citing concerns about countries committing "war crimes" while participating in the multicultural celebration.

"I have been getting emails about why certain countries are allowed in Heritage Festival and why certain countries are not," Janz said. "There's countries that are bombing other countries that are at the Heritage Festival. Why are we allowing flags to be shown of countries in a public park that are committing war crimes against other countries?"

Janz's comments follow a series of controversial social media posts that drew sharp criticism from the Jewish Federation of Edmonton. In one post, he wrote: "If you have a newborn baby, right now, anywhere in the world, your brand new baby is statistically more likely to be killed by Israel than dying in any other way."

Stacey Leavitt-Wright, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, said Janz has escalated his public comments in recent weeks and called on Mayor Andrew Knack to intervene. "He's talking about something that's really outside of the scope of a city councilor. It's repeated. It's escalating," she said. "When the Jewish community is flagging this and saying we're concerned about what's being put out there for various reasons, instead of taking a step back and reassessing or engaging in conversation, he's doubling down."

Leavitt-Wright said the Israel pavilion has already increased security and worried about the impact of such public messaging ahead of Heritage Festival, scheduled August 1-3 at Hawrelak Park. She warned the posts create "an atmosphere of hostility towards the community that has both security risks and also pushes the community members to the margins."

Mayor Knack issued a statement: "Councillors are all free to address any issue they choose but must do so with the knowledge that their words have an impact on the people we serve. I believe that it is crucial that everyone, especially elected officials, share information that is accurate and factually verified."

Janz has previously demonstrated support for Israel, noting he participated in a 2008 Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs tour of the country and toured Nazi camps in Europe with Holocaust survivors. "Criticizing the Israeli regime is not antisemitic," he said.