Public opinion passionately divided over ex-NDP candidate Stefan Jonasson
Stefan Jonasson withdrew from race after social media comment about Orthodox Jews was published
There is as much support as vitriol for Stefan Jonasson, the ex-NDP candidate forced to step down for social media comments comparing beliefs of one sect of Orthodox Jews to the Taliban.
Jonasson, who was running in the Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley riding, quit Thursday at the request of the party.
His comments, made three years ago above a link to an article about Israel, surfaced this week on The True North Times, a website that promised to expose controversial comments by nine politicians in nine days.
Jonasson, who is a minister in the Unitarian Universalist church, offered his opinion of the Haredim, an Orthodox branch of Judaism. He wrote "much like the Taliban and other extremists, the Haredim offer a toxic caricature of faith at odds with the spirit of the religious tradition they profess to represent."
Jonasson said Thursday that The True North Times created an extreme distortion of his comments by claiming he compared Jews to the Taliban. He said he was only targeting one ultra Orthodox group.
Some people immediately took to Twitter to express disdain for Jonasson.
<a href="https://twitter.com/StefanJonasson">@StefanJonasson</a> Glad u were forced to step done. Only an imbecile would have thought such a comment let alone post it. Unbelievable!!!!!!
—@ShadiPaveh<a href="https://twitter.com/StefanJonasson">@StefanJonasson</a> U should not dump on Jews when one's leader's wife is Jewish. Bad move to hate us.
—@bg1945<a href="https://twitter.com/StefanJonasson">@StefanJonasson</a> you seem pretty shady yourself by comparing Jews to Taliban. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/antisemitism?src=hash">#antisemitism</a> much?
—@chailife7<a href="https://twitter.com/StefanJonasson">@StefanJonasson</a> your a disgrace for your racial comment.
—@DBiddellJust as many people have expressed support for Jonasson, however, and criticized the NDP for not backing up him.
Stefan Jonasson wasnt comparing ALL Jews to the Taliban. He was comparing extreme fundamentalism. Stop screaming antisemitism. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash">#cdnpoli</a>
—@BluLoveenGetting tired of candidates being forced out for social media posts taken out of context. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StefanJonasson?src=hash">#StefanJonasson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash">#cdnpoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/dbVBSPbKNH">https://t.co/dbVBSPbKNH</a>
—@DAJHetheringtonI am incredibly impressed by axed NDP Stefan Jonasson's statement at the end. Shame on those that made this happen. <a href="https://t.co/KxiZdq3mBE">https://t.co/KxiZdq3mBE</a>
—@MikeFriesen10Shame on the <a href="https://twitter.com/NDP_HQ">@NDP_HQ</a> for throwing <a href="https://twitter.com/StefanJonasson">@StefanJonasson</a> under the bus.
—@PegCityLouLou<a href="https://twitter.com/StefanJonasson">@StefanJonasson</a> if issuing a genuine, intelligent concern gets u effectively booted from a political party, we truly live in Orwellian times
—@willqrop2<a href="https://twitter.com/StefanJonasson">@StefanJonasson</a> Sorry party did not back you up. I too am disappointed over many things so will vote <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Green?src=hash">#Green</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/elxn42?src=hash">#elxn42</a>
—@AuntRube