Canadian broadcaster reportedly pulled after recording anti-Israel protest outside service
CBC newsreader Neil Herland was reportedly taken off air and placed under internal investigation after posting a video of a protest outside a Yom Kippur service in Toronto. He said demonstrators taunted and intimidated him as he tried to enter, and expressed concern about rising antisemitism and the safety of Jewish Canadians.
The protest involved about two dozen people chanting “Free, Free Palestine” outside an event at the Meridian Arts Centre where former Israeli government official Mark Regev was speaking. The Toronto Sun reported that CBC received complaints; a pro-Palestinian advocacy group accused Herland of misleading viewers because the venue was an arts centre rather than a synagogue and Regev was a senior Israeli official. CBC declined to discuss the internal matter, while saying public reporting contained errors and mischaracterisations; Herland’s video received 3.8 million views.
- CBC reportedly took newsreader Neil Herland off air pending an investigation.
- He said protesters taunted him outside a Toronto Yom Kippur event.
- A pro-Palestinian group disputed his account; CBC declined to comment on internal matters.