Montreal’s Official Opposition leader and city councillor for Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Lionel Perez says he’s “disappointed and saddened” with the decision of a group of Montrealers to wear a yellow felt square to protest the use of school buses by Hasidic Jews.
“Most everybody should understand the symbolism in relation to the Star of David during the Holocaust and how the Nazi regime wanted to use that symbolism to indicate who was Jewish and who was not,” Perez told Global News.
The incident happened last Monday during a council meeting for the borough of Outremont.
“If it was done intentionally, it’s despicable and it’s unacceptable,” Perez said.
A video of the council meeting shows a woman addressing council with a yellow badge pinned to her clothing. She said it’s a symbol of the yellow school buses used by Jews in the borough and called the vehicles a nuisance.
“The buses run 12 months a year, they block streets,” the woman said.
Perez took to Facebook to denounce the issue. He told Global News people should stop wearing the square.
“If it was done out of ignorance it was more of a testament to the lack of consideration, the lack of understanding and empathy that people have and should have, most notably in Outremont where 25 per cent of the population are Hasidic Jews,” Perez said.
It’s an issue where Montreal’s opposition and its government see eye to eye.
READ MORE: Hassidic Jews don’t have to pay tickets over Outremont’s bus bylaw
“To talk about issues or things you want to question at the borough council is fine, this is the place to do it,” Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said. “But wearing the yellow square was unacceptable. There was a lack of sensibility and maybe a lack of knowledge of what it would sound like.
“There is no place to do politics on the back of kids.”
This is just one of several conflicts that have flared up in Outremont involving the Hassidic community.
READ MORE: Outremont could hold a referendum on bylaw that bans new places of worship
Last November, citizens voted against allowing Hasidic Jews to open more synagogues on a main street in Outremont.
READ MORE: Outremont residents debate holiday accommodation
“If you want to go about change, then don’t bring in that symbolism that will in fact, avoid the issue.”
Instead, Perez suggests bringing the issue to the borough’s elected officials, whom he says will handle the issue in a “constructive” way.
-With files from The Canadian Press