Back in February, I posted on how antisemitic rocker Roger Waters essentially put a target on the back of Canadian Jewish advocate and media personality Dahlia Kurtz. At the time, Waters was echoing the hateful rhetoric of Israel-hater Yves Engler, who had launched a sustained online smear campaign against Kurtz for daring to call out genocidal chants at anti-Israel rallies.
Now Dahlia Kurtz is fighting back.
In a newly filed defamation lawsuit in the Quebec Superior Court, Kurtz is suing both Engler and Waters for what she describes as “false, defamatory, malicious and reckless allegations,” including calling her a “fascist thug,” a “Jewish supremacist,” and “a sick puppet in support of genocide.” The lawsuit outlines a sustained, coordinated campaign of vilification – one that has allegedly led to violent threats, targeted harassment, and real-world danger for Kurtz and her family.
The 60-page court filing reads like a greatest-hits album of defamation and unhinged hate. Waters is accused of knowingly spreading lies, Engler of obsessively harassing Kurtz across every platform short of Morse code.
This is of course not the first rodeo for old horse Roger Waters, with the lawsuit even referencing the recent U.K. judgment holding him liable for defaming journalist John Ware.
Here’s hoping Dahlia is successful with this lawsuit. Not just because it will be great to see Waters and Engler put in their place, but also because this case is about more than one advocate.
It’s about the high cost of standing up for Israel and the Jewish people in today’s toxic climate.
