We, the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, condemn the actions of the Israeli government and affirm our continued solidarity with the people in Palestine, Lebanon, and all those affected by the ongoing genocide on Gaza.
For almost an entire year, the Palestinian people have endured the most brutal genocidal military campaign unleashed on the people of Gaza. The people of Palestine have bravely proven to the world that they refuse to cower from a colonial occupation; an occupation that has revealed itself to be untenable even with all the machinery of imperialism at its disposal.
Despite countries around the world calling for an immediate ceasefire, Israel’s apartheid regime continues to escalate its violent attack with the full support of the so-called Canadian and US governments. The failure of western governments and institutions to call for an immediate ceasefire or instate an immediate arms embargo on the Israeli settler colonial apartheid state has directly led to the escalation of violence and attacks on the people of Lebanon. The most recent attacks have displaced more than half a million Lebanese people from their home – leaving many wounded and martyred – as this number continues to grow.
The Federation not only vehemently condemns the expansion of zionist violence to other parts of the Arab world, but continues to demand an immediate end to the ongoing genocide and deadly assault in both Gaza and Lebanon, and calls for the liberation of all peoples suffering under the yoke of zionism and imperialism.
Let it be clear that our governments and institutions remain complicit and responsible for the ongoing attacks, and students must continue to hold them accountable. Governments and institutions continue to use public funds and students’ money to invest in weapons and arms manufacturers towards the mass destruction and displacement of the Lebanese and Palestinian people. Students continue to demand that public institutions immediately disclose and divest from investments and businesses contributing to the Israeli settler-colonial apartheid state, and for everyone to join the boycott of companies and banks that are also complicit in these war crimes.
The position of the Federation has and will never waiver. The Federation reaffirms, and continues to upholds and amplifies the following calls and demands of students across the province and so-called Canada:
- Disclose any and all investments that are linked to the Zionist entity and increased transparency on how colleges and universities endowments are spent.
- Divest from all corporations and partnerships that contribute to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.
- Defend the student autonomy and rights to organize as students partake in Palestinian and Lebanese solidarity activism.
- Denounce the ongoing genocide, occupation and violence in Palestine and Lebanon.
- Condemn the use of state violence to intimidate and repress students, faculty, staff and community members who are in solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon.
The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario is the oldest and largest student organization in Ontario, representing over 350,000 college and university students in every region of the province.