Jewish groups in Canada have raised concerns about a large international gathering taking place Tuesday in Montreal with the presence of anti-Israel groups, the Canadian Jewish News (CJN) reported.

The World Social Forum (WSF), being held for the first time in a so-called “northern” country, brings together civil society organizations from around the globe. It has been held annually since the first in Brazil in 2001. Last year it was in Tunisia.

Among the headlines of this year’s edition is a call for “mobilization for a world without apartheid.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said the WSF represents ‘’an annual gathering of some of the most radical and extreme elements within the global left.44

“Its agenda spans from legitimate issues such as the environment to conspiracy theories, far-left revolutionary ideologies and boycott, divestment and sanctions (anti-Israel BDS),’’ said CIJA Quebec co-chair Patrick Benaroche.

“As such, WSF merely provides the BDS movement with a meaningless opportunity to preach to those who already embrace the cause.”

B’nai Brith Canada also expressed alarm that the WSF is “promoting anti-Semitism” by giving a platform to those hostile to Israel.

It notes the website states that among the WSF’s “commitments” is “to exclude all people, organizations or activities that promote any kind of oppression, supporting Palestinians and all the people struggling for their emancipation and freedom.”

B’nai Brith thinks ‘’this is, effectively, a ban on the participation of Israelis or anyone who supports Israel.’’

In addition, the group said, an image promoting the event “is a blatantly antisemitic caricature that depicts a Wahhabi terrorist emerging from the mouth of American mascot Uncle Sam, who in turn emerges from the mouth of a stereotypical ultra-Orthodox Jew with a Star of David emblazoned on his hat.”

One workshop — entitled “Terrorizm [sic], Wahabbism, Zionism” — will seek to explore what it says is how Wahhabis are “mercenaries of Saudi in the service of world Zionism-capitalism…They cooperate for misrepresentation, by accus[ing] Palestinian freedom fighters by terrorism and legitimization crimes of fundamentalist regime in Israel.”

Another workshop, on “the Israel Lobby’s war on Palestine solidarity and how best to resist,” features Diana Ralph, whom B’nai B’rith Canada called “a leading Canadian conspiracy theorist who has blamed Israel for staging the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.”

David Ouellette, CIJA Quebec director of public affairs, said that the province, through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, gave the event a $100,000 grant, under a program to promote Montreal’s image internationally.

He said it is “murky” whether Ottawa or Montreal contributed anything financially or in the form of co-operation.

“CIJA has called on all three levels of government to denounce and distance themselves from the one-sided, anti-Israel agenda and unacceptable anti-Semitic tone and content in the WSF’s program. We have also requested a meeting with the organizers to address our deep concerns,” he said.

In a letter to Montreal Mayor, Denis Coderre, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Relations, Shimon Samuels, warned of "the consequences of antisemitic imagery and language pervasive throughout the World Social Forum (WSF) programme.

Samuels, who regularly attended WSF assemblies in Porto Alegre, Brazil and Mumbai, India, explained how "this anti-globalization organisation year after year, allowed its legitimate agenda - on behalf of victims of violence, poverty and discrimination - to be hijacked by the Palestinian cause, while ignoring constant terrorism against Jewish victims in Israel and Jewish targets in Europe and beyond".