We the undersigned strongly condemn CUPE Ontario’s proposed boycott of Israeli universities and academics. In addition to being antithetical to the tenets of free expression and free association that are fundamental to academia, Mr. Ryan’s proposed resolution is blatantly discriminatory. No other country’s academics are the targets of such union action, regardless of what kind of government their country of origin may have or whether that country may be at war. Jewish and Israeli students and professors should not be subject to discriminatory rhetoric and tactics from the leadership of a large Ontario labour union. Our campuses offer varieties of courses studying the Middle East, the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and international politics, giving ample forums for reasoned civil and scholarly debate. However, the vilification of an entire nation by boycotting scholars of that nationality is anathema to campus life. We hope that the members of CUPE will tell Mr. Ryan that he should spend his members’ hard-earned dues representing members’ interests, rather than on checking the passports, birthplaces, or institutional affiliations of our scholars.
Signed,
Ed Morgan, University of Toronto, and; National Chair, Canadian Academic Friends of Israel
