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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, November 28, 2014 | 6 Ignoring the rhetoric What started out as a war of words turned into nothing more than two groups trying to drown out each other with loud music. An Oakville woman was at the heart of a protest Sunday after allegedly posting comments on her Facebook page about the recent massacre at a Jerusalem synagogue. She also happens to be on the board of directors for Mississauga's Palestine House Educational and Cultural Centre. The post -- written in Arabic -- came to the attention of this newspaper via an email. The woman behind the controversial post is Monira Kitmitto. She declined to discuss the issue with the Oakville Beaver. "It's a personal page and I am not speaking about it," Kitmitto said. She is absolutely correct, of course. It is her Facebook page and what is posted on that page is entirely up to her. Her position at Palestine House and the posting led some groups to vent their outrage at the centre. As everyone knows, there is no such thing as privacy on the Internet and words, as well as pictures, can be taken out of context -- or not. Social media in its many forms is both a brilliant purveyor of instant news and a place to disseminate misinformation, in ammatory views and outright hate speech based on an individual's ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion. Thanks to the Internet, folks feel comfortable espousing anything and everything and often under the cloak of secrecy. Kitmitto did not hide behind the Facebook post and was at Palestine House Sunday for the protest that was organized by Jewish Defence League supporters who have made it abundantly clear they want to see the centre shuttered. Some members of the JDL wore balaclavas ostensibly to conceal their identities from members of Palestine House. Back in July, a confrontation involving more than 200 people occurred between JDL Canada and opposition supporters outside the centre in the wake of the killing of three Israeli teens in the Middle East. Sunday's protest proved much different. Amidst a heavy police presence, protesters and members of Palestine House played cultural music at almost deafening levels. While not easy on the ears, this exchange was far less confrontational. Rabbi Stephen Wise of the Shaarei-Beth El Congregation of Halton in Oakville said Kitmitto's alleged Facebook post had been brought to his attention, and that members of his congregation were upset by it. Wise said he understands it can be dif cult to ignore the "rhetoric," but has advised people not to engage in the dialogue, especially on Facebook. "I counsel people to ignore and, instead, turn inward and say `What can we do?'" he said. The rabbi probably has the best approach to dealing with perceived rhetoric. Clearly de ning hate speech versus propaganda versus freedom of speech is no easy undertaking. However, if you or someone you know feels threatened or targeted by an individual or group, call the police immediately. Editorial S C O R I N G A G O A L "Connected to your Community" 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Zack Peever, a Grade 8 student at West Oak Public School, started fundraising for the Terry Fox School Run when he was in Grade 1. Over the years, he had such success he decided to set a goal of raising $10,000 by the time he graduated from West Oak. On Friday, Oct. 3, he completed his nal run having surpassed the $10,000-mark by $305. He attributes his ability to encourage family and friends to support him to the fact that he wrote a script and used his mom's telephone headset. He made a list every year and either spoke to or left a message for each person. He followed up with thank-you cards and Terry Fox loonies to those who sponsored him for $100 or more. Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 52 | Number 130 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager | submitted photo Proud Official Media Sponsor For: 'Tis the season to donate the gift of life On behalf of Canadian Blood Services, I'd like to sincerely thank residents of this community who responded to our recent urgent appeal for blood. When it really counted, you stepped up and helped ensure we could continue to meet patient needs across the country. We are fortunate to have such dedicated donors, some of whom experienced longer donation times during this critical period. Thanks to you, we are no longer in a critical situation. That doesn't mean our work together stops here; the need for blood is constant. We look forward to welcoming regular donors back again soon. If you're a new donor, we hope you will consider making blood donation a regular part of your life. Letter to the Editor Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association We want donors to have the best experience possible. We've heard your suggestions and will continue to improve. To begin, we've introduced Wi-Fi in our permanent clinics, created a new website that is mobile-friendly, introduced a mobile app called GiveBlood and started publishing our weekly inventory online so it's even easier for you to take action. We have also introduced a new eligibility quiz to help you determine whether you can donate. To learn more visit www.blood.ca. 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