The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival (VanCAF) board has resigned after a controversy over the banning of a creator from the convention. The festival released as statement last week that it had banned an Israeli-American comic creator due to her past service in the Israel Defense Forces.

Though not named, the artist was Miriam Libicki and the decision to ban her caused an uproar and charges of antisemitism against the show. As far as we know, no other members of the military have been banned due to their service. We reached out to the convention and have heard no response as of this article’s publication.

The original accountability statement released by VanCAF stated there was a “public safety” concern due to her prior role and that Libicki wouldn’t be allowed to return to the festival. It went on to apologize for “harm” it caused by allowing Libicki to exhibit. She has exhibited at every VanCAF up until 2023 when a exhibitor application deadline was missed. The 2 individuals who made the complaint in 2022 were also banned as stated by those with more insider information as to events.

Libicki was at the 2024 show to promote her graphic novel But I Live, which is a collection of work based on the experiences of survivors of the Holocaust. Libicki had agreed with VanCAF to just focus on that and not her graphic novel jobnik! which chronicled her military service during the second intifada and other previous graphic novels. The convention admits that after agreeing to it, it then did a 180 after the 2024 convention stating it “failed to take the correct precautions to ensure (its) community’s safety” leading to the first statement and Libicki’s ban.

The original “Accountability Statement,” which you can read above, was taken down after pushback and the convention went silent over the weekend.

VanCAF has released a new statement, not only apologizing for the original but their decision to ban Libicki and statements made. The current board of directors has resigned and only a few remain to hand over the convention to new leadership and staff. You can read the new apology below.