“We must continue to organize confidently, proudly, and fearlessly”
Labour for Palestine – Canada condemns Zionist attacks on unions
Over the past 10 months of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, labour unions and activists across Canada have stepped up their support for Palestinian decolonization struggle. Canadian labour unions have joined forces to call for a ceasefire, asked Canadian government to reverse its position on funding UNRWA, written letters demanding a two-way arms embargo on Israel, passed resolutions in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, supported South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and called for the cancellation of the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA).
More importantly, Canadian unions and workers have organized and taken part in mass actions across Canada demanding an end to the war and genocide. Exactly as they did against South African apartheid, workers are continuing to organize in their workplaces and in their communities in support of the Palestinian struggle for liberation.
In the face of this growing mobilization, Zionist organizations in Canada have unleashed smear campaigns against anyone who dares to criticize Israel’s ongoing genocide, including trade union leaders and activists, with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) even actively encouraging members of unions to file complaints against their union for Palestine solidarity. This can be seen in the baseless and frivolous complaints filed against the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), and the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) amongst others.
Instead of focusing on combating real antisemitism, apologists for Israel’s genocide choose to attack unions for speaking out for justice for Palestinians.
In a recent hit piece by the National Post this past weekend, trade unionist and member of our National Steering Committee,Hassan Husseini, was targeted for his long-time Palestine solidarity activism and his social media commentary in support of Palestinian struggle for liberation. His criticism of Israel and solidarity with the Palestinians was conflated with antisemitism. In that same article CIJA’s Richard Marceau states that “Unions should focus on their members’ working conditions and benefits, not on…forays into foreign policy,” cynically obscuring the factthat unions have always been engaged in the struggle for justice at home and across the globe.
If anything, the latest hit piece and the multiple forms of Zionist and right-wing attacks on unions and labour activists who speak out for Palestinian workers and people, is a sign of desperation. This is especially the case in the face of the growing campaign to isolate Israel for its genocide and war crimes against the Palestinian people, among the working class and other sectors of Canadian society supported by a growing body of evidence,including the latest ruling by the ICJ on the illegality of the occupation and its apartheid nature.
As Labour for Palestine - Canada, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to amplify the voices of Palestinian workers and people as they struggle for their freedom from decades of occupation, apartheid and settler-colonization.
We call on unions to connect the dots between the struggles of workers in Canadian workplaces with those of workers everywhere, including in Palestine. We call on them to connect the decolonization struggle of indigenous people on Turtle Island to the struggle of indigenous Palestinians against Zionist settler-colonization in Palestine. And we call on unions to heed the call of Palestinian trade unions to escalate our efforts to end Canada’s complicity in this ongoing genocide.
We call on unions to protect their members, leaders, and staff from baseless attacks and smear campaigns.
Silence is not an option in the face of a genocide. We must continue to speak out, organize, and be in solidarity with Palestinians - and to do it confidently, proudly, and fearlessly.
