Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is condemning attempts by federal officials to intervene and overturn an agreement made in good faith between the University of Windsor (UW) and the student-led Palestinian solidarity encampment (“Palestine Liberation Zone”). Earlier this week, the UW peacefully brought an end to the encampment by committing to act on many of the students’ demands. Yesterday, Anthony Housefather, senior advisor to Prime Minister Trudeau on antisemitism, announced that he was working with Special Envoy Deborah Lyons to put pressure on the university, presumably to cancel the agreement. CJPME urges the University to reject any government interference and uphold its commitments on Palestinian human rights.
“It is entirely inappropriate for Housefather and Lyons to intervene in internal university matters and bully administrators into abandoning their commitments to human rights and to their students,” said Thomas Woodley, President of CJPME. “At a time when other universities across Canada are forcibly refusing to listen to student concerns and shutting down encampments, the University of Windsor and the Palestine Liberation Zone have set a gold standard for how to respond to egregious human rights abuses and resolve disputes. We should be taking inspiration from their leadership, and adopt similar policies elsewhere,” added Woodley.
The agreement signed by the University of Windsor and the Palestine Liberation Zone on July 10, 2024, commits the University to take action on many of the students’ demands. Some of these measures include disclosing and divesting from irresponsible investments (i.e. those that are involved in violating human rights); establishing institutional relationships with Palestinian universities; supporting Palestinian students and scholars; recognizing anti-Palestinian racism; and promising to “not pursue any institutional academic agreements with Israeli universities until the right of Palestinian self-determination has been realized.” (more...)
CJPME Condemns Government Interference Against UWindsor Divestment Agreement
No comments:
Post a Comment