My latest: two wars, two different responses

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Vladimir Putin’s regime immediately commenced brutally killing Ukrainian civilians on a massive scale.

Russia committed war crimes. It committed acts of rape and infanticide. It took hostage innocent Ukrainians. It tortured them.

Canada is home to the largest Ukrainian diaspora community in the world. Here are the things that did not – did not, we emphasize – happen in Canada after February 2022.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not piously instruct Ukraine to exercise “maximum restraint.” He did not give performative speeches, telling Ukraine how to defend itself.

His witless foreign affairs minister, Melanie Joly, did not demand a cease-fire, or attack Ukraine’s military for targeting Russian missile batteries.

No NDP member of a provincial legislature gave speeches to baselessly accuse Ukraine of genocide, or to deny Russia’s many war crimes.

Mid-war, while Russia was still waging war against Ukraine, a significant chunk of the Liberal Party caucus did not also demand a total cease fire and insist that Ukraine stop fighting back.

The Canadian media did not accept Putin’s propaganda, and call the invasion a mere “security exercise.” Our media did not treat representatives of Russia and Ukraine as having an equal moral standing or voice, and invite them to debate on-air for better ratings.

Canadian universities did not suddenly become safe havens for students to wear masks and physically assault Ukrainian students – or accuse them of genocide and apartheid. Canadian university and college professors did not go on social media to falsely accuse Ukraine of war crimes, and absolve Russia of every sin.

Pro-Russian thugs did not shoot up schools – once, twice, thrice – where Ukrainian-Canadian children were being taught the Ukrainian language and culture. They did not firebomb Ukrainian orthodox churches, or Ukrainian community centers.

No Russian religious figure appeared at rallies to call on God to “exterminate” Ukrainians everywhere.

No pro-Russian, pro-Putin mobs took to the streets every single weekend, demonizing Ukraine and its people, chanting about their desire to see Ukraine wiped off the map, “from Belarus to the Black Sea.”

No one organized boycotts of businesses owned by Ukrainian-Canadians, or businesses with an imagined connection to Ukraine. No one scrawled graffiti on thousands of walls and doors and windows – defaming Ukrainian religious symbols, or accusing Ukraine of the vilest crimes.

No one did or said any of those things, after Russia attacked Ukraine. No one did any of those things after Vladimir Putin commenced his slaughter of Ukrainian men, women and children.

But in Canada, all of those things have happened, and much more. Not to Ukrainians, however. Not them.

No, all of those things have happened in Canada to Israel and a certain religion.

Didn’t happen with Ukraine. Did with Israel.

What’s the difference, we wonder?