ARPCF Condemns Defamation Campaign Against CUPE Ontario President for Supporting Palestine
Montreal, Aug 23, 2024— The Anti-Racism Program of the CJPME Foundation (ARPCF) condemns the recent campaign of defamation against Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario, which is orchestrated by certain pro-Israeli factions, media outlets, and even the CUPE National Executive. This campaign maliciously accuses Hahn of antisemitism based on decontextualized comments and a misrepresentation of his legitimate criticism of Israel's policies and actions.
Arrest of Calgary protest organizer Wesam Khaled
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On Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, following a large and successful protest against spiraling Israeli violence against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, Palestinian-Canadian protest organiser Wesam Khaled was arrested by the Calgary Police Service (CPS.)[1] Charged with "disturbing the peace," the police told Khaled that the charge was related to his use of the chant "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which the police decided to treat as an “offensive anti-semitic comment.” Khaled was released on the condition that he not attend any protests until his court date.
Reinstatement of Dr Ben Thomson By Mackenzie Health
On October 13, 2023, Dr. Ben Thomson, a nephrologist at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital was given a one-month suspension without pay following social media posts he made in support of Palestine. In his tweet, Thomson was warning against the danger of spreading misinformation that is used to dehumanize Palestinians and justify Israel’s genocide in Gaza.[1] The tweets made by Thomson received criticism from colleagues and anonymous individuals online who labelled Thomson antisemitic and called for him to be fired.[2]