The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs say they are “deeply disturbed” by social media posts Sean Orr made before he was elected as a councillor Saturday in the Vancouver civic byelection.
The organizations issued a statement Tuesday calling for Orr to apologize and to commit to “engaging in serious education about antisemitism and the harm he has caused” for posts made in 2021 and 2023 on the X social media platform.
On Aug. 31, 2021, Orr wrote that "everyone knows Vancouver city planners are controlled by a secret cabal of Jews who have a bunker in the earth's core fml."
“This statement invokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope alleging Jewish control of political and economic systems — myths that have fuelled discrimination, exclusion and violence against Jews throughout history,” the statement said.
'Reckless and inflammatory'
More recently, on Oct. 30, 2023, the groups say Orr falsely accused the State of Israel of committing acts of genocide while it acted to defend its citizens and sovereign territory from terrorist aggression in the deadly attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Such reckless and inflammatory language not only distorts reality but also endangers Jewish communities by further inflaming antisemitism and denying Israel's right to defend itself,” the statement said.
The groups said antisemitism — whether expressed overtly or cloaked in the language of political discourse — has no place in our society, let alone among elected officials.
“[Councillor-elect] Orr's comments have caused harm to the Jewish community and have eroded trust in his ability to represent all residents of Vancouver,” said the statement, with the groups urging Vancouverites “from all walks of life and all political and civic leaders” to condemn Orr's statements.
“At this time, we do not have confidence that [councillor-elect] Orr can represent the interests of all Vancouverites in a manner that upholds the principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging,” the statement said.
“The City of Vancouver deserves leadership that unites rather than divides. We remain committed to working with municipal leaders to ensure our city is one in which all communities — including the Jewish community — feel safe, respected and represented.”
Orr's response
Orr responded to the statement via X Monday in a series of posts.
“In 2021, I sarcastically quoted the comedian David Cross while condemning anti-semitic dogwhistle on Twitter,” he said. “I was defending Karm Sumal [co-founder of Daily Hive] against the claim he was a ‘globalist shill.’ I have been outspoken over the years opposing all forms of racism including anti-semitism.”
Orr said it was “unfortunate that this was taken out of context and misrepresented,” noting his campaign platform “called out anti-semitism by name and committed to fighting it, along with Islamophobia and other forms of racism. I am always willing to listen if people who feel I can do more for their communities.”
Added Orr: “Criticizing the far-right Netanyahu government for committing war crimes against civilian populations is the right thing to do. Criticizing that is not anti-semitism. I agree with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.”
In his last post in the thread, he said: “In this climate of resurgent fascism and the rise of the far right, we must all be vigilant and stand up against hate. I will always stand up for communities who are attacked or scapegoated.”
Anjali Appadurai, a climate activist who challenged David Eby in the NDP leadership race, also took to X, suggesting the Jewish groups were engaged in a "smear attempt" against Orr.
"This is the weakest, laziest and frankly most hilarious smear attempt against I politician I've seen from an institution that considers itself serious," Appadurai wrote. "Do you have anyone on your team who understands the Internet? This is obvious sarcasm from Sean Orr. You even quoted his 'fml.'"
Mayor Ken Sim holds news conference
Nico Slobinsky, the vice-president at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said Orr’s response was “deeply disappointing,” writing on X that “instead of taking responsibility, he has chosen to deflect, excuse and double down.”
Slobinsky and other members of the Jewish community were expected to join Mayor Ken Sim Wednesday morning at a news conference to condemn Orr’s statements.
Meanwhile, Conservative Party of B.C. Leader John Rustad posted on X and cited Orr’s post about “a secret cabal of Jews” at city hall. Rustad said “this is some of the worst anti-semitism we’ve seen from a public official in Vancouver, which is sadly a high bar to cross.”
Rustad also urged Orr to apologize.
Orr, a member of COPE, topped the polls in the April 5 byelection and has yet to be sworn in as a councillor. Lucy Maloney of OneCity won the other vacant seat on the 11-member council, which is dominated by Sim and his ABC Vancouver colleagues.
X/@Howellings
