Some emotional comments by one of ABC Vancouver’s unsuccessful byelection candidates have once again raised concerns about antisemitism in B.C. politics.
It comes as Jewish groups in Vancouver take aim at one of the city’s new councillors-elect over a 2021 social media post.
Candidate Jaime Stein, who finished sixth in the race for two vacant council seats on Saturday, made the comments during his concession speech, admitting he was going “off script.”
“Vancouver has an antisemitism problem and we need to address it. I witnessed it first hand on this campaign with the threats I received on social media and the vandalism that happened to our signs,” Stein said.
“My message to the two councillors who are coming in is very clear: Stand up for Vancouver’s Jewish community. Do not incite any more hatred against the Jewish community in Vancouver.”
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said Stein faced more than one antisemitic incident during the campaign, something he said was “heartbreaking” for the candidate, his family and the Jewish community.
“There were a lot of hateful acts, words, comments on social media, signs. It wasn’t one incident, there were multiple incidents,” Sim said.
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“It’s devastating when you have to deal with what he had to deal with.”
It comes as the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver calls for new COPE councillor-elect Sean Orr to apologize over a 2021 tweet reading, “Everyone knows Vancouver City planners are controlled by a secret cabal of Jews who have a bunker in the earth’s core fml.”
Federation CEO Ezra Shanken said the tweet was unacceptable.
“Shame on you, shame on you for doing this to us in this moment shame on you for making this about the Jewish people have we not been through enough?” he said.
“We are not going stand by and allow this type of filth to be put out into the open streams by leaders of this city community.”
A screenshot of the Twitter exchange COPE city councillor-elect Sean Orr says has been taken out of context.
Global News
Speaking with Global News, Orr said the tweet is being taken out of context, and was a part of a larger thread where he replied to someone who had called Daily Hive co-founder a “globalist shill.”
“Globalist shill is a dog whistle, an antisemitic dog whistle of that very nature, that there is some kind of elite that controls the world and it’s a Jewish elite. So I am actually criticizing antisemitism and pointing that out using sarcasm,” he said of the tweet.
“By expressing my exasperation that people still hold these views by saying FML, which is shorthand for ‘F- my life.’ Because it’s just a constant thing we are seeing on Twitter and everywhere else just these dog whistles.”
Orr said the remark was a reference to a standup routine by David Cross, in which the Jewish comedian mocked ignorant people who believe the world is controlled by Jewish bankers in an underground bunker.
Vancouver police say reports of antisemitism in the city jumped 62 per cent in 2023, the majority occurring after Oct. 7.
Orr said his platform specifically called out antisemitism, and that he remains committed to fighting it.
“I condemn attacks on Jamie Stein… and I condemn attacks on any elected representatives,” he added.
“I want to reassure the Jewish community I am proud to stand against antisemitism and I will do everything I can to make the Jewish community feel safe in this city.”
Orr and OneCity’s Lucy Maloney finished first and second in Saturday’s vote, close to double the tally of the third-place finisher and more than three times the votes of ABC’s two candidates.
The pair are due to be sworn in in the coming weeks.
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