CUPE Shows Their Colours

In a not surprising, but still disgusting move, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has issued this press release:

CUPE Ontario to recommend support for ban on Israeli academics in response to Gaza bombings

January 5, 2009

TORONTO, Ont. – CUPE Ontario's university workers committee will bring a resolution to its annual conference supporting a ban on Israeli academics doing speaking, teaching or research work at Ontario universities as a protest against the December 29 bombing of the Islamic University in Gaza.

“In response to an appeal from the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees, we are ready to say Israeli academics should not be on our campuses unless they explicitly condemn the university bombing and the assault on Gaza in general,” said Sid Ryan, president of CUPE Ontario. “It's a logical next step, building on policy adopted by our provincial convention in 2006.”

Resolution 50, adopted in May 2006, supported boycotts, divestment and sanctions aimed at bringing about the Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories and a just peace in the region.

“Clearly, international pressure on Israel must increase to stop the massacre that is going on daily,” said Janice Folk-Dawson, chair of the CUPE Ontario University Workers Coordinating Committee, whose conference is scheduled for February. “We are proud to add CUPE voices to others from around the world saying enough is enough.”

Ryan and other CUPE representatives will join in the demonstration against the Israeli assault on Gaza at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, January 3 at Dundas Square in Toronto.

For more information, contact:

Sid Ryan, President, CUPE Ontario, 416-209-0066
Pat Daley, CUPE Communications, 416-616-6142

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The Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees is headed by one Dr. Amjad Barham, who has a long history of issuing boycotts against Israel. That's his prerogative but for CUPE to go along with it is despicable.

On a purely Canadian note, isn't it interesting how last year much of the news featured assorted Muslim groups trying to silence the free speech of Ezra Levant, Mark Steyn, and others. Now in 2009 we have CUPE ready to go along with an initiative to silence the free speech of Jewish academics. A very disturbing trend indeed.

I wonder how long it'll be before we see the pink flags mixed with the green ones.

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Question: Perhaps any painters out there can tell me, if you mix pink with green, do you end up with red? No particular reason, I'm just curious.

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Update: Further to the antics of CUPE's President, Sid Ryan, I just read this.

About halfway down is this interesting revelation: "I was told that CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) was one of the organizers of the anti-Israel protest. Sure enough, I ran into CUPE President Sid Ryan, sitting comfortably in the back of a coffee shop near the Israeli consulate."

So it seems clear now that we have a public sector union calling for an end to free speech for [some] academics and inciting anti-Jewish hatred at rallies. And the MSM on all of this is ... where exactly?!?

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Update #2: SDA has an interesting update. Read the comments!