Toronto, ON – As the Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) concluded its final performance over Toronto’s waterfront yesterday, the long-standing Labour Day weekend tradition is once again embroiled in a manufactured controversy, with manipulative “pro-palestine” activists making ridiculous claims in an effort to shut the airshow down.
An activist group, “World Beyond War,” has been a vocal opponent to the airshow, arguing that the show’s inclusion of warplanes amounts to “blatant advertising for militarism, war, and violence.”
In a statement, the group made the absurd claim that it brings potential “harm” to newcomers and refugees.
These sentiments have been echoed forcefully on social media. One user expressed their frustration in stark terms, posting, “Fck the Air Show, and fck the City of Toronto’s callousness & cruelty in hosting this annual event.”
However, the criticism, including that from a Turkish-Canadian journalist for The Maple, was met with immediate and robust backlash from supporters of the air show, who defended the event as a cherished Toronto tradition.
“The Air Show is awesome,” responded Toronto-based photojournalist Beth Baisch. “I am grateful to live in a country where a skillful acrobatic display like this is a source of entertainment, not terror.”
Others suggested that those who dislike the show should simply leave or adapt.
“The audacity to come to [Canada] and think your preferences supersede everyone else’s,” wrote former MP Kevin Vuong. “If anyone has an issue with the air show, which has been a Toronto tradition since 1949, then leave for the long weekend or the 12-3 p.m. show, or go elsewhere.”
The debate also drew in former politicians who arrived in Canada as refugees themselves.
“I was literally born under the constant threat of bombings by Iraqi planes in Ahvaz during the Iran-Iraq war,” wrote former Ontario MPP Goldie Ghamari. “One of my fondest early childhood memories is my parents taking me to see the air show when we first immigrated to Canada. My advice: either fit in or leave.”
The online response from some members of the public was even more blunt.
“Hey Nur! Two words, one finger. Don’t like it? Don’t watch. Or even better yet, get the hell out and go back to Palestine. Canadians have been enjoying these air shows for many years, and we will continue enjoying them for many years to come,” one user posted.
Another added, “Seriously, don’t come to a country and tell the people who were born there to stop their traditions. You aren’t an immigrant, you’re an invader and you can fuck off.”
Despite the controversy, the event, which ran from August 30 to September 1, drew countless spectators to the city’s shoreline. This year’s show featured performances by the iconic Snowbirds, a historic P-51 Mustang, and the controversial F-35 fighter jet, among others.
