Petition launched to bring back Montreal author's book to Jewish Public Library

There are calls for the Jewish Public Library to reverse its decision to pull a book by a Montreal author over controversial social media posts.

The books are temporarily available on request but there is a petition to put the books back on the shelves.

On Sunday, a small protest was held by the Montreal chapter of Independent Jewish Voices to "show our support for censored Quebec author Elise Gravel and to denounce the reprehensible act of book banning."

Elise Gravel took to Facebook to thank the supporters who took part in the demonstration. Gravel is an award-winning children's author and illustrator, and she's come under fire recently over her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war.

Elise Gravel, of Montreal, receives the Governor General's Literary Award for book illustration from Governor General David Johnston at Rideau Hall in Ottawa Wednesday November 28, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

Critics argue she's on an anti-Israel campaign. Since the conflict erupted in October, Gravel has been very vocal online, accusing the Israeli government of bombing children and oppressing Palestinians.

In a recent post on X, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said Gravel's comments "contribute to the alarming rise in antisemitism."

We've seen an escalation in antisemitism and conspiracy theories from Montreal children's author Elise Gravel.

As example, in the first image she invokes the antisemitic trope of ritual murder. 'They are convinced that we are okay with their idea to exterminate the… pic.twitter.com/XhiFI57rmu

— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) February 6, 2024

In light of the controversy, the Jewish Public Library decided to remove her books from public view. The library issued a statement to various media outlets last week, which recognized Gravel as "one of Quebec's most beloved children’s book authors. Her work is vibrant, thoughtful, funny, and educational."

The statement went on to say: "While the content of her books is objectively not offensive, we have taken the decision to relocate them from our open shelves to closed stacks. This action ensures that the books remain accessible through our catalogue, while also acknowledging the sensitivities surrounding the author's social media posts."

Since then, an informal group of Montreal friends and writers have launched a petition to denounce what they consider to be a form of censorship because of an author's political views.

"It's chilling when authors or books are treated this way and not even for the content. We have rigorous standards and procedures if there's a complaint about a book. Usually, in Canada, there is an onus for the complainer to prove that this book is offensive," said Leila Marshy, one of the writers behind the petition.

"This is not that. This is an author — her entire catalogue of books being put on closed shelves because of her public, political views."

So far, more than 200 people have signed the petition.

CTV News reached out to the Jewish Public Library for a reaction to the petition and yesterday's demonstration.

"We are listening to the many comments that have been expressed by members of the community," the library wrote in an email, adding that it would respond with an official statement sometime this week.