Richard Falk, Purveyor Of Anti-Jewish & 9/11 Conspiracy Theories, Described By CBC News As “Prominent Legal Scholar”

Richard Falk, a high-profile purveyor of Jewish hate was recently detained by customs agents in Toronto, to which CBC News described him as a “prominent legal scholar.”

In the November 16 article by reporter Sarah Petz, “Prominent legal scholar detained at Canadian border while on his way to a conference on Palestine,” she detailed that Falk, whom she described as “a prominent academic and former UN special rapporteur,” shared that “he was detained by customs agents in Toronto while on his way to speak at a conference on human rights violations against Palestinians.” She also wrote that “he said border agents told him they needed to determine whether he and his wife were a national security threat to Canada.”

Petz made it sound like his four hour detention was a travesty, quoting Azeezah Kanji from the Palestine Tribunal on Canadian Responsibility, who said that “we can’t reveal the particulars about what was done, but the degree of disturbance about this was extreme and universal across the board,” and that, “it’s outrageous that this could have happened.”

Petz also quoted Senator Yuen Pau Woo, who stated, “I am shocked that two eminent experts on international law would be treated in this way, on Dr. Falk’s 95th birthday no less.” It is hard to understand why birthdays should be relevant to border security. Petz didn’t question this, nor did she share Pau Woo’s background, which includes criticizing the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism, upheld by 30 countries, and defending rabid antisemite and conspiracy theorist, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.

On the contrary, Petz’s report framed Falk as an elderly scholar, disturbed while on a do-gooder journey. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Falk has a history of spreading anti-Jewish hate. He is the Chairman of Board of Trustees of Euro-Med Monitor, which has been accused of consistently spreads blood libels and conspiracy theories about Israel, including alleging that Hamas’ October 7th massacre was doctored, assault rifles added to the bodies, and the murderers incorrectly killed.

Falk is also a “9/11 conspiracy theorist” according to observers, who has been widely denounced, including by the former Secretary-General of the UN, for blaming the Boston terrorist attack on “the American global domination project” and “Tel Aviv.”  

Additionally, the UK government condemned Richard Falk for antisemitism on three separate occasions, as did then Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird in 2013.

All of this helps explain the concerns of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Falk and his wife were en-route to the Palestine Tribunal on Canadian Responsibility. Just Peace Advocates (JPA) Canada’s Executive Director, Karen Rodman spoke at the tribunal, and JPA publicized it heavily on their website, including having a webpage designated for it.

Members of JPA’s Board of Directors include Jonathan Kuttab, who has denied Israel’s right to self-defense and Ali Mallah, who promoted resistance to Israel “by any means necessary.” The JPA has also reportedly expressed solidarity with Samidoun, a Canadian-designated terrorist organization. It is hard to understand how this aligns with its “Just Peace” nomenclature. Yet these are the Tribunal’s supporters.

Former Canadian ambassador Artur Wilczynski wrote about the Tribunal, that “this travesty has all the authenticity of a Soviet show trial. Guilt by accusation. Rooted in Kremlin propaganda. No opportunity for defence.”

Why Petz chose not to include Falk’s virulently anti-Jewish background in her article is hard to understand. Surely providing context to Canada’s Border Service Agency’s actions would provide balance and context to her readers, and help them understand the scandalous nature of Falk.

By omitting Falk’s widely documented record of antisemitic remarks and conspiracy theories, and by ignoring the controversial backgrounds of the Tribunal’s backers, Petz strips the story of the very context that explains the CBSA’s concerns. Deleting the inconvenient facts actively misinforms readers and undermines basic journalistic standards