Key Points
Initiative promotes accurate terminology separating sacred Swastika from Nazi Hakenkreuz
Partnership builds on CoHNA's Swastika Education campaign launched in 2020
Organizations call on Canadian government to ban public display of Nazi symbols
Both groups emphasize combating hate while promoting cultural understanding and respect
The initiative aims to promote awareness and understanding, while also advocating for accurate terminology to differentiate between the sacred Swastika and the hateful Hakenkreuz.
https://x.com/CoHNACanada/status/1902909296138129889
Sharing a post on X, CoHNA Canada wrote, "On an initiative that asks for action against the alarming rise of Nazi symbols of hate, with sensitivity for all involved! Specifically, we appreciate @bnaibrithcanada for their usage of the CORRECT term--Hakenkreuz--to describe the Nazi symbol, rather than the popular but INACCURATE term of "Swastika."
According to Richard Robertson, Director of Research and Advocacy at B'nai Brise Canada, the Swastika has been wrongly associated with the Nazi Reich. "These faiths' sacred symbol (the Swastika) has been wrongfully associated with the Nazi Reich. We must not allow the continued conflation of this symbol of peace with an icon of hate," Robertson explained.
Robertson emphasised that the misrepresentation of the Swastika is a historical injustice. "It is a historical injustice that the meaning of the Swastika has been wrongfully maligned by reference to the Nazis," he said.
"With our petition, B'nai Brith Canada aims not only to protect vulnerable communities from hate but also to help the public differentiate between the sacred Swastika and vile Nazi iconography," he added.
According to the post, CoHNA is very pleased to see this differentiation, which validates the work and message of our Swastika Education and Awareness Campaign, which kicked off in 2020 to drive home this precise difference between the sacred Swastika and Hitler's hateful Hakenkreuz. This is how advocacy works.
Further, the post added that they look forward to 'continuing to grow our partnership ' with B'nai Brith, adding that they combat the growing hate and promote understanding and mutual respect through accurate terminology and action.
Organizations representing Buddhist, Hindu and Jain Canadians have endorsed B'nai Brith Canada's recent call for the Federal Government to ban the public display of Nazi symbols, including the Nazi hooked cross (Hakenkreuz).
"We, the undersigned, call on the Government of Canada to pass legislation banning, with exceptions for certain educational and artistic purposes, the public display of Nazi symbols and iconography, including the Nazi hooked cross (Hakenkreuz)," the petition said.
"Ban all Nazi symbols and iconography," it added. (ANI)
