Canada’s Union of 300,000 Students Vote to Join Boycott Against ’Israel’

Local Editor

The Canadian Federation of Students in Ontario, which represents more than 300,000 university students in the province, has unanimously passed a motion to boycott "Israel," the Ottawa Citizen reported on Wednesday.


In the federation's annual general meeting held recently last week, a motion to take part in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement [BDS] was unanimously adopted, executive member Anna Goldfinch said.

Goldfinch said the motion to join the BDS in support of Palestine received no opposition at its annual general meeting recently last weekend.

The resolution was presented by the Ryerson Students' Union [RSU], and it "endorses a number of solidarity tactics that have been called for by Palestinian civil society," she told the Canadian daily.

Moreover, president of the RSU, Rajean Hoilett, said that universities and colleges in Ontario would be "complicit" if they retain investments and ties with academic institution that support or profit from ""Israeli" war crimes."

With respect to opinions disagreeing with the resolution, Hoilett said the RSU has scheduled panel discussions in which Ryerson students can voice their views.

This resolution follows a protest earlier in August, where thousands gathered in the Canadian city of Toronto to protest Prime Minister Stephen Harper's stance towards the war on seized Gaza.
Protestors chanted, asking Harper how he could "sleep at night with the images of Palestinian children ... blown to pieces."

Furthermore, Harper's conservative government has staunchly supported its ally "Israel" in the war against seized Gaza. In late July, Harper reiterated his government's hard line against the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team