[URBAN NOTE] On anti-Semitic language and Rob and Doug Ford in Toronto

[rfmcdonald]

Hayden Kenez' National Post article "Doug Ford booed at debate as he tries to distance himself from anti-Semitic slur allegedly uttered by mayor" begins with the latest scandal facing the Ford brothers.

Doug Ford caused an uproar at a mayoral debate at a north-end Jewish school Sunday evening while trying to distance himself from an anti-Semitic slur allegedly uttered by his brother on an audio recording.

Mr. Ford was responding to allegations from fringe mayoral candidate Ari Goldkind, who said that Rob Ford had called Jews the “’K’ word” in a recorded outburst.

Seizing on the topic of anti-Semitism and hate speech, Mr. Goldkind said that Rob Ford’s record of making racial slurs boded poorly for his brother’s campaign.

“That is where [discrimination] starts,” Mr. Goldkind said, pointing to where Rob was seated in the audience.

“I’m not going to address that comment,” Mr. Ford said, before invoking a stereotype that upset the crowd. “But you know something? My doctor — my Jewish doctor, my Jewish lawyer…,” he said, trailing off as the comment sent the crowd into pandemonium.

The audience shrieked, yelled and booed at Mr. Ford, who seemed flustered. “I’ll leave it at that,” he said, once the audience had quieted down.

“Mayor Ford, who has shown a tremendous amount of chutzpah for coming into this room tonight, may get a free pass from everybody else on this stage … but the fact that he insulted my religion, whether it was under the influence or not; we cannot have a mayor like that,” Mr. Goldkind said. “Because that is where it starts.”