On Monday morning, at the University of Toronto’s downtown campus, various unions and labour movements joined encampment protestors in solidarity, just after the University imposed 8:00AM deadline to vacate. By inserting themselves into this conflict and expressing support for the encampment, unions are showing support for a protest which blurs the lines of antisemitism. This is bound to raise doubts among Jewish workers.
In her speech, Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, pondered out loud why she felt it necessary for the OFL to stand in solidarity with a student led protest. Walton said it was because “students are workers.” By the protestors own count, there are a little over 100 tents at the encampment. What about the many more Jewish students at UofT who have expressed discomfort and worries about safety because of the encampment’s antisemitism? Or UofT Jewish faculty who have expressed similar worries? According to Walton all these people are “workers,” do their concerns not matter?
The concerns of Jewish students and workers at UofT are not unfounded. The encampment is blatantly antisemitic. Its organizers refer to Hamas, an organization recognized by the Canadian government as a terrorist group, and responsible for the horrendous October 7th assault on Israel as “the resistance.” In an Instagram post, in a clear reference to October 7th, they say that “resistance is justified.”
Worse, it attracts the most horrendous antisemites to its central location at UofT’s downtown campus. On one of the first days of the protest, chalk was scrawled on the sidewalk surrounding the encampment which called for Jews to “go back to Europe.” More recently, there was a man who proudly stood and gave a Nazi salute while saying “heil Hitler,” before adding, “I wish he had murdered all you guys bro.”
This isn’t the first time Ontario labour unions have faced accusations of antisemitism, or even the first time since the current conflict in Gaza erupted. In November, almost 30 members of CUPE filed a human rights complaint against the union, claiming antisemitic discrimination. This complaint was prompted by CUPE President Fred Hahn posting on his twitter after the horrendous October 7th assault on Israel about the “power of resistance.”
While the union leaders themselves may not be antisemitic, their support for the encampment at the very least shows ignorance of the many antisemitic instances at the encampment, much like when Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre stood in solidarity with the Ottawa truckers convoy (which also attracted racist and unsavoury characters). Poilievre was rightly condemned across the political spectrum (even by some conservatives). These labour unions must also be condemned.
Antisemitism is on the rise. We see it reported in the news often. In February, in a daring intimidation tactic, a pro-Palestinian protestor stood atop a perch at Toronto’s Jewish Mount Sinai Hospital and waved a Palestinian flag. Recently, a Jewish elementary school was shot at. Jews are rightly worried, and unions’ support for an antisemitic protest does not assuage their fears.
In her speech, Walton posed a rhetorical question to herself about why labour movements are inserting themselves into an issue of international politics. She proudly proclaimed that: “the peace and well-being of workers anywhere is the concern of workers here.” Instead of being so concerned about workers abroad, Ontario’s labour unions should focus on the safety of workers here.