The Canadian Jewish Congress today issued a statement expressing satisfaction with a declaration by Commissioner S.T. Wood of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that the RCMP will not tolerate any religious or political considerations in performance of its duties.
Commissioner Wood’s statement came in an exchange of telegrams with the Congress, following a charge by ex-Squadron Leader M.S. Nightingale, one of the defendants in the so-called Soviet spy cases, that Inspector Anthony, head of the RCMP in British Columbia, had told him that it was his (Nightingale’s) duty to “send these damn Jews back where they came from.” Anthony subsequently denied the charge, stating that “at no time during my conversations with Nightingale did I make or have cause to make any statement relative to persons of the Jewish race or creed.”
Commissioner Wood cited Anthony’s denial in his telegram and added: “As is well known, there is an old, well-established policy under which members of this force must never permit racial, religious or political considerations to sway them in the performance of their duties. No deviation from this policy is tolerated and complete impartiality is a vital standard of this force.”
The text of the statement released to the press by the Canadian Jewish Congress reads as follows:
“The Jewish community of Canada is pleased to have an official denial by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of the charge of anti-Semitism levelled against one of its officers. We believe firmly that there is not any room in Canadian life, least of all in the administration of justice, for racial or religious prejudice. Public confidence in this point must never have any cause for alarm. The racial origin and religious beliefs of persons accused or convicted of crimes must play no part in their trials or in public discussions of their cases.
“The Canadian public, and particularly the press of Canada, has been notably free of the tendency to connect criminals with their race or religion, and this has been a factor in the development of Canadian citizenship. We hope the public will continue to remain vigilant against the infiltration of such prejudices or unfair thinking. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s prompt disavowal of such charges is reassuring.”
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