HALIFAX — The Atlantic Jewish Council is condemning protesters’ use of holocaust imagery at a rally against vaccine passports and mandates Saturday.
As the unmasked group rallied outside of Fredericton’s town hall and marched through the streets, several people held large cut outs of the yellow Star of David while others wore the yellow star on their chest.
The stars were similar to the symbol Jews were forced to wear in Nazi-occupied Europe.
“Individuals who invoke the yellow star to protest public health guidelines during Covid, quite frankly, should be ashamed,” said Naomi Rosenfeld, Executive Director of the Atlantic Jewish Council.
Rosenfeld said the community understands that Canadians are anxious about the pandemic and the public policy decisions related to addressing it and that people are trying to make sense of a complex situation and contribute to the discussion.
“That said, it is offensive, unhelpful, and utterly absurd to compare public health guidelines - which are put in place to save lives - with the Holocaust,” Rosenfeld said.
“The yellow star symbolizes the state sponsored, industrial scale murder of 6 million Jewish children, women, and men and the attempt to annihilate the Jewish people.”
Fredericton’s mayor Kate Rogers said on Twitter that she is incredibly concerned and disappointed by the anti-vaccination protest that targeted Fredericton.
“Not only was the crowd size of unmasked people dangerous but the anti-semetic symbolic imagery used was insensitive and unacceptable.”
Fredericton police didn’t arrest anyone at the protest but said given the ongoing seriousness of the pandemic, the actions of those involved should not be tolerated.
“While there were no arrests made in relation to the current Mandatory Order, an investigation into the event is ongoing and charges will be pursued where warranted,” read a statement on Fredericton Police’s twitter account.
