The bus company’s name wasn’t immediately available, but organizers pledged a strong legal response.
Seventeen buses intended to bring thousands of people to a mass rally against antisemitism in Ottawa, Canada on Monday morning were canceled without explanation even after having received full payment.
“Given the absolute silence of the sub-contractor and with no other explanation, we are driven to the view that this shameful decision is intended to disrupt our peaceful rally out of hatred towards Jews,” the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto said in a statement.
The bus company’s name was not immediately publicly available, but organizers said they would “respond aggressively with every legal and public affairs tool at our disposal.
I can confirm this is true.@UJAFederation booked 72 buses through various companies. One was responsible for 17 buses. They wanted full advance payment, which we did.
They didn’t show up. No explanation. Silence.
Sickening and outrageous. And our lawyers are very much on it. https://t.co/eew1vMobIH
— Steve McDonald (@koshermcdonald) December 4, 2023
Over 50 other chartered buses remain en route to pick up attendees to the rally, according to a UJA spokesperson.
Thousands are expected to rally at Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday afternoon in support of Israel and against antisemitism.
The rally comes two weeks after nearly 300,000 people assembled in Washington, DC for the largest pro-Israel rally in American history. That rally was also beset with allegations that buses were canceled due to antisemitism and hatred for Israel.
“Just last month, we saw a similar situation take place where antisemitic activists refused to drive Jewish Americans leaving a rally in Washington, DC,” the UJA statement said.