Jewish group calls for mayor's resignation

The Jewish Defence League is demanding the resignation of a small-town Quebec mayor who said the state of Israel should not exist.

Along with being mayor of Huntingdon, Que., Stéphane Gendron also co-hosts "Face-a-Face," a daily TV talk show on Quebec's V-Tele network.

During a December 27th broadcast, Gendron referred to Israel as an apartheid state and expressed hope for its collapse.

He made the comments while saluting a Quebec politician's boycott of a Montreal shoe store that sells products made in Israel.

A Jewish Defence League spokesman called Gendron's remarks "dangerous, inflammatory and un-Canadian."

And Thursday, about 20 people protested in front of Huntingdon's city hall demanding Gendron resign or be fired.

The 44-year old mayor has a history of making comments that have drawn complaints.

Last year, he announced plans to boost Huntingdon's population by attracting French-speaking Muslims from North Africa.