Over the last couple of days, students across the United States and Canada have encamped on their campuses in solidarity with Palestine to amplify the conversations around the ongoing genocide and demand their institutions to completely divest from individuals, corporations and institutions directly involved in the genocide in Gaza. As such, the Canadian student movement can not be silent and we urge more students to join the revolution for a liberated Palestine.

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Student organizing has always been pivotal to opposing state oppression and war both within and outside the country. This history goes back to students opposing the apartheid in South Africa in the 90’s, students pushing against the war in Iraq in 2003 and more recently, students opposing the attacks on Ukraine in 2022. 

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The student protests in apartheid South Africa and the pro-Palestine encampments share striking parallels in the pursuit of justice, equality, and human rights. Students played a pivotal role in organizing protests, boycotts, and civil disobedience campaigns to challenge the apartheid regime and demand change. Similarly, pro-Palestine students around the world have been at the forefront of advocacy efforts, organizing rallies, sit-ins, and educational events and more to raise awareness about the Palestinian struggle and advocate for their rights. These encampments serve as a platform for fostering dialogue and calls for immediate action to call for a ceasefire, a two-way arms embargo and an end to the siege on Gaza.

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In Canada, we have seen many attacks on students, students’ unions and campus groups autonomy for choosing to stand with Palestine. This is significantly evident in the increased presence of campus security, and cops on university and college campuses surveilling students.  Very quickly, university administrators from institutions such as the University of Toronto, Western University and the University of Ottawa are now pushing against encampments faster than they have pushed against genocide or provided support for Palestinian students on their campuses. It is important to emphasize that these encampments further affirm the student’s stance with Palestine. As everyone deserves basic human rights such as water, education, life and many more, so do Palestinians.

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Historically, students have always been on the right side of the fight for liberation. We understand that we have a collective and moral duty, as students and as a society at large, to challenge the biased history that is being portrayed and, to resist and dismantle the oppression faced by Indigenous peoples from Turtle Island to Palestine. 

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Today and always;

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We affirm the rights of Palestinians to exist;

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We demand both the Federal and Provincial governments to affirm and protect student autonomy and students right to protest across Canada;

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We demand all Canadian university and college administrators to join the growing calls to divest and boycott all institutions and corporations complicit in Israeli war crimes, breaches of international law and human rights violations all across Palestine; 

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We urge students’ unions to create welcoming spaces for Palestinian students, make donations to Palestinian community and solidarity groups and work with faculty associations to support growing encampments across Canadian Campuses;

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We encourage all students to follow local Palestinian organizing to learn more about how to be in solidarity with Palestine.  

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The students united (against genocide) will never be defeated.

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In Solidarity, 

The Canadian Federation of Students

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