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Jewish Groups Decry CUPE's Israeli College Boycott

The Canadian Press

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The Canadian Press

WINDSOR, Ont. -- Jewish groups are expressing deep disappointment after delegates at a Canadian Union of Public Employees conference of university locals voted in favour of a boycott of Israeli universities.

  View larger image Protesters clash at the CUPE demonstration on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009.

Protesters clash at the CUPE demonstration on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009.

"It's got nothing to do with individual academics," CUPE Ontario President Sid Ryan said at the conference in Windsor.

He said the boycott is to protest the Israeli siege of Gaza, and will focus on university programs that research and develop weapons used against Palestinians.

Ryan describes the move as an "adjunct" to a resolution passed in 2006 that called for an economic boycott of Israel.

CUPE Ontario president Sid Ryan speaks to the media on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009.

CUPE Ontario president Sid Ryan speaks to the media on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009.

The union will also look into its pension plan to make sure it's not funding the research and development of weapons.

Ryan says his union's boycott is part of a bigger, worldwide campaign to boycott Israel with participants in Australia, Ireland and the United States. He told reporters hundreds of Canadian academics recently signed an open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling for some kind of sanction against Israel.

The resolution is not binding and some within the union have threatened to leave CUPE Ontario if the boycott was passed. Local 1001 and local 1393 at the University of Windsor have both said they would not support it.

Meir Weinstein, who heads the Canadian arm of the Jewish Defence League, called Sunday's vote a "black day." He condemns the boycott as "anti-Semitic."

Protesters called on CUPE members to impeach Ryan.

Tensions rose when a group of counter-demonstrators from the Windsor Arab community gathered to voice their support of Resolution 50.

Several Windsor police officers watched the protests from inside their cruisers.

Bernie Farber, CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress which is not connected to the Jewish Defence League, predicts the boycott will hurt the union in the long run.

"CUPE Ontario will become less important in the eyes of mainstream Canada," he said.

Yisroel Hunter of the Windsor Jewish Federation agreed.

"I think this runs against the grain of Canadian values."

Farber added it's a move backwards.

"Jews worldwide have a sense today sadly that people are entering into a black hole of anti-Semitism and the passing of this resolution will only reinforce it."

The resolution has even been the subject of a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. Three Essex County men are not asking for financial damages, but say they want an apology from Ryan to the Canadian people.

The boycott is expected to next come up for discussion at CUPE's 46th annual convention in Toronto this May.


www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090222/CUPE_Boycott_090222/20090222