FREDERICTON — A national legal group has apologized and begun an internal review after facing widespread criticism from outside groups and within its own ranks for cancelling a speech by a prominent Syrian refugee.
The Advocates' Society last month rescinded an invitation to Tareq Hadhad, owner of the Nova Scotia confectioner Peace by Chocolate, to speak at an event in June after some members expressed concern with the refugee-turned-entrepreneur's posts about the ongoing Middle East conflict.
A May 27, 2024, post by Hadhad on the social media platform X talks about the Israel-Hamas war, saying children should wake up to the sounds of birds not bombs and "this genocide must be stopped."
In a statement, Hadhad said he was shown the complaint made about his speaking engagement, which suggested he was indifferent to the suffering inflicted on Israelis when Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. He called the claim "inaccurate and deeply hurtful" and said grieving the "suffering of one group does not mean the exclusion of another."
He said he advocates for victims of conflicts regardless of faith or nationality. "I will continue to spread the message of peace. That includes speaking up for children and families caught in the horrors of war," he said. Israel's war in Gaza has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Organizations including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the South Asian Bar Association and the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association as well as over 50 legal scholars have voiced their concern about the decision to cancel Hadhad's invitation.
And on Saturday, the Advocates Society's incoming president resigned over the controversy. "I have never agreed that the Advocates' Society should have responded by cancelling Mr. Hadhad's invitation," Sheree Conlon wrote in her resignation letter. "I believe that by doing so, we abandoned our values and purposes, rather than promoting civility, respectful discussion and collegiality."
Conlon said she had followed Hadhad's story since he and his family arrived in her home province of Nova Scotia in 2015, and she was the one who proposed inviting him to speak. Hadhad has been celebrated as a Canadian success story, with then prime minister Justin Trudeau presenting the company's chocolates as a gift during a 2019 Washington visit and his family's experience being turned into a 2021 feature film.
But almost as soon as he was announced as a speaker, Conlon said the society began hearing from some lawyers saying Hadhad was not an appropriate choice because of his social media posts on Gaza. The society risked losing memberships and sponsorships for the dinner, she was told.
The Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association said when it pressed the Advocates' Society about why Hadhad was disinvited, it was told the complaints stemmed from use of the word "genocide" in the entrepreneur's post.
"The society’s actions show that it and its board place a higher value on appeasing certain anonymous constituencies than on promoting free speech, intercultural dialogue, inclusivity, and the open exchange of ideas," the association said in a March 27 letter.
The 6,000-member Advocates' Society, a non-profit professional association of judges, lawyers and advocates that promotes a "strong, independent and courageous bar," said in a statement that a special task force is now working on recommendations for the dinner. Officials did not reply to a question about whether Hadhad would be invited back.
"Our members have expressed deep concerns with the way our decisions were made, the basis for them and with the lack of diverse consultation in our deliberations," the statement said. "We are sorry and regret the harm we have caused."
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is calling on the group to reflect on "the chilling impact" of its decision. "We are concerned that this decision is reflective of a broader tendency within our society for there to be disproportionate scrutiny of, and expectations placed upon, individuals who publicly express concern regarding the loss of life in Gaza and the legality of the actions of the Israeli state," the CCLA said in a letter Friday to the society's board of directors.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused Israel of committing acts of genocide in Gaza by destroying vital infrastructure, mounting deadly attacks and preventing the delivery of food, medicine and other aid. Israel has vehemently denied the allegations, saying its war is directed at Hamas militants, not Gaza's civilians.
A letter from more than 50 legal scholars addressed to the Advocates' Society notes universities and legal institutions in the United States are seeing free speech curbed, especially when it is supportive of Palestinian human rights. "Put simply, the willingness to defend pro-Palestinian expression has become the canary in the coal mine for an organization’s ability to effectively foster diverse perspectives, and ultimately, to act as a meaningful force for democratic values," the letter said.
The South Asian Bar Association said the Advocates' Society set a "dangerous precedent" at a time when the group should be at the forefront of representing lawyers who have "taken an oath of safeguarding the rights and freedoms of all persons."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2025.
— With files from The Associated Press
The Canadian Press
