Only days after the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) criticized the Canadian government for its one-sided support of Israel's violent incursion in Gaza, the Harper government cut off all federal English-as-a-second language (ESL) funding to CAF. Harper's spiteful move against CAF was not an isolated incident. George Galloway, the world-renowned anti-war orator and solidarity activist, was banned from speaking in Canada, while George Bush and Bill Clinton, noted war criminals, were permitted to earn huge fees to speak in Toronto and Calgary. At the same time, students and faculty at many Canadian campuses who have identified the policies and practices of the State of Israel as apartheid, are being targeted for harassment, surveillance, and intimidation.

The last two years have seen increasing efforts to disallow advocacy of Palestinian rights on Canadian university campuses, amounting to a pattern of the suppression of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. These include: 1) Statements from 19 university presidents to foreclose debate on the academic boycott of Israel, citing "academic freedom";  2) Efforts to ban the use of the term "Israeli Apartheid" at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, overturned only through a campaign of  protest; 3) Discipline against students involved in peaceful protests for Palestinian rights at York University, in Toronto; 4) Attempted discipline against a faculty member who addressed a rally against Israeli Apartheid at York University; 5) Pattern of cancellation of room bookings for meetings concerning Palestinian rights at the University of Toronto and York University; 6) Use of security clearance requirements and fees to cover security costs to impede campus meetings about Palestinian rights; 7) Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear's unprecedented interference in academic freedom when he personally called the president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) (the main funding body for academic research in Canada), demanding they reconsider their funding of the peer-reviewed conference at York University, "Israel/Palestine: Mapping models of statehood and paths to peace."

We are in the midst of a nation-wide propaganda campaign aimed at vilifying any person or group that speaks out against the total abrogation of Palestinian rights. B'nai Brith Canada, has recently issued press releases and statements including demands to: 

1) Condemn this year's Pride parade grand marshal, El-Farouk Khaki, for speaking at a recent public event organized by Queers Against Israeli Apartheid. 2) Condemn annual Israeli Apartheid Event; 3) Condemn CUPE 3903 as anti-Semitic; 4) Demand cancellation of play "Seven Jewish Children"; 5) Applaud Koffler Art Centre's decision to withdraw support and shut down exhibit of artist Reena Katz, anti-Apartheid activist;  6) Demand cancellation of conference on One State/Two State solution at York University; 7) Demand that the LGBTQ community not allow "anti-Israel agitators" to march at Pride; 8) Demand for unilateral stripping of funding from Canadian Arab Federation; 9) Demand that government refuse to allow British MP George Galloway to enter the country; 10) Applaud and support a motion filed in the Ontario legislature by MPP Peter Shurman, condemning the use of the term "Israeli Apartheid Week."

Fighting Back in Defense of Freedom of Speech

Following are a sampling of campaigns that are confronting these assaults on individuals and groups who continue to speak out against the ongoing violations of humanitarian and international law by the Israeli state:

1) Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA), Statement, 2 June ‘2009
Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QUAIA) attacked by pro-Israel B'nai Brith; Toronto's Pride Committee stands up to political pressure to exclude QUAIA  from city's annual celebration of LGBTQ pride. Pride Toronto has issued a public statement which makes absolutely clear that "it has no intention of banning any participants from the Dyke March and the Parade because of their political agenda". B'nai Brith has issued several press releases recently, each aimed at silencing critics of Israeli policy, including queer community activists and artists. At the same time, B'nai Brith chooses to ally itself with Christian fundamentalist homophobes. In the face of growing support and understanding of the Palestinian plight, including that faced by Palestinian queers, the Zionist movement is responding with intimidation and repression. We are fully convinced these actions will fail and be seen for what they are: a desperate attempt by a failing movement to shut down free speech and the right to organize. Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA) statement endorsed by Students Against Israeli Apartheid (University of Toronto), Students Against Israeli Apartheid (York University), Faculty4Palestine, Labour4Palestine, Teachers4Palestine, Educators for Peace and Justice.

2) Open Letter to University Community Regarding Palestinian Rights and Canadian Universities - Faculty4Palestine

 We the undersigned:

• Defend the right to freedom of speech about Palestine for all members of the university community, including freedom to use the term ‘apartheid' to identify and debate certain policies associated with the state of Israel and the freedom to support, facilitate and participate freely in activities under the rubric of "Israeli apartheid week"
• Call for an end to the silencing of speech around Palestine, removing extraordinary requirements for security clearance and fees for security services
• Support increased ties to Palestinian institutions and scholars, and activities to support the right to education and academic freedom of Palestinians

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3) The Political Action Committee of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, local 3906 (representing over 2,400 precarious academic workers at McMaster University,Hamilton, Ontario) as well as Faculty4Palestine, a pan-Canadian network with over 400 members in over 40 universities and 10 colleges, is asking concerned members of the academic, labour and social justice communities in Southern Ontario to join us in demanding the immediate resignation of Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear. Demonstration at the offices of Gary Goodyear _____________________________________________________________________

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4) Independent Jewish Voices (IJV - National):  EMERGENCY RESOLUTION

 Since federal Minister Gary Goodyear has attempted to interfere with SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) funding of the York University conference 'Israel/Palestine: Mapping Models of Statehood and Paths to Peace'

And Since this interference is an unprecedented attempt to silence democratic debate

And since the discussion itself at the Mapping Models conference has been attacked as Anti-Semitic,  IJV resolves:

  1. To publicly state that discussions such as Mapping Models for Israel/Palestine, whether or not those discussions include proposals for a state that does not maintain an ethnically Jewish majority, is not anti-Semitic;

  2. To write a letter to PM Stephen Harper calling for the resignation of Minister Goodyear (in support of CAUT and academic freedom); and

  3. To write a letter to the organizers of the conference supporting them and thanking them for their efforts.

Adopted at the 2009 Annual General Meeting of Independent Jewish Voices (Canada) - June 14, 2009

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5) Science for Peace (at University of Toronto):  STATEMENT

Science for Peace is one of the oldest Canadian non-governmental organizations to advocate persistently for peace and justice.  We maintain that there are always non-military solutions to conflicts and that wars are illegal aggressive acts.

• The Israeli/Palestinian impasse involves sixty-one years of occupation, the siege of Gaza, and  illegal continued expansion of settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank
• The potential use of nuclear weapons the likely use of non-conventional illegal weapons in 2006 and 2009,  currently under UN investigation,
• The documented ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population (based on Israeli archival evidence).

Science for Peace commends Queens University and York University for organizing the historical conference "Mapping Models of Statehood and Paths to Peace". Science for Peace also commends York University president Shoukri for his strong stand in support of this conference.We are unequivocally opposed to Minister Gary Goodyear's request for a second peer review of the conference.  We understand that there are allegations from B'nai Brith and from the Canadian Council for Israeli and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA) that this conference is anti-Semitic and aims to de-legitimize the State of Israel.  This entirely misrepresents the conference, its participants and its aims.  The accusation is provocative and slanderous. The allegations reflect astonishing ignorance of the research and analytic work being done by innumerable scholars and concerned citizens to peacefully resolve this seemingly intransigent issue. Along with the Canadian Association of University Teachers, we call for the resignation of Minister Gary Goodyear for allowing this politicized interference in academic freedom.

Judith Deutsch, President                                            Chandler Davis, Treasurer