Ontario Teachers criticize Israel - and get threatened for it.

Support OSSTF District 12's RIGHT to have a Democratice Debate on Israel!

Support DEMOCRACY not HATE!

One District of the Ontario Teachers Union has decided to raise the issue of Israel's horrific abuses in the Occupied Territories, and have been threatened for it. Once again, we see that ANY criticism of the Occupation brings out the worst in human nature.

So while B'Nai Brith and the Jewish Defense League mount a campaign of intimidation, the Union tries to pass a benign motion that criticizes Israel. Read the document below, as well as OSSTF's response to the intimidation from B'Nai Brith and the JDL. And also check out these links to Jewish Groups who maintain that B'Nai Brith and the JDL DO NOT REPRESENT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY!!!

This sort of thing again reminds us the national communities in the diaspora are often FAR MORE fanatical than those living in the actual state. Please defend OSSTF's right to criticize a brutal State's abuse of an indigenous community.

http://www.hostultra.com/~jwceo/jwceo4/

http://www.jfjfp.org/

The Motion:

BIRT District 12 STBU Council endorse the following motion for AMPA 2007:

“BIRT AMPA 2007 urge the Provincial Executive to express OSSTF’s criticism of Israel’s continued violation of the human rights of Palestinians as well as its belief that the achievement of justice for the Palestinians will help bring peace to the Middle East and to the people of Israel by taking the following actions:

a) Request the provincial Human Rights Committee to develop an educational campaign for its members as well as curricular materials for the classroom, to be ready for September’s Provincial Council, on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, Palestine’s role in this conflict, the role of Canada in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the international community’s response.

b) Request the Human Rights Committee to devise a campaign to materially and morally
support the students of the occupied territories unable to receive an education due to the occupation and make links with teacher unions and student organizations both in the occupied territories as well as Israel who are seeking a just and peaceful solution to this region’s conflicts.

c) Write a letter to the prime minister as well as to the leaders of the oppositions parties, urging them to:

i) Pressure Israel to comply with international humanitarian law including the
decisions of the International Court of Justice and the Fourth Geneva Convention;
ii) Call for Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied territories;
iii) Demand the removal of Israel’s “separation wall” which has resulted in the
annexation of Palestinian land and extreme hardship in the daily lives of Palestinians;
iv) Pressure Israel to restore the revenues collected by them to their rightful owners,
the Palestinian Authority;
v) Publicly criticize Israel’s aggression against Gaza and Lebanon and
vi) End Canada’s sanctions against the democratically elected government of Palestine
which has resulted in the paralysis of the civil service and the extreme impoverishment
of the Palestinian people.

d) Develop ways OSSTF can demonstrate its support of the growing international call for
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel.”

Estimated cost: to be determined

J. Kunin, Vaughan Road Academy/H. Hulays, Harbord CI

***

Press Release - January 17th 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Teachers’ Union Defends Right to Freedom of Speech

The Executive of District 12 Secondary Teachers Bargaining Unit unanimously condemns B’nai Brith and the Jewish Defense League for what it believes amounts to a bullying campaign launched against OSSTF and its members.

On January 12th, B’nai Brith launched an all-out assault on OSSTF by sending an e-mail "alert" to its members urging them to pressure OSSTF members to disengage from a debate scheduled to take place at this Thursday’s regular monthly Council Meeting. Today, the Jewish Defense League announced its intention to rally outside of the OSSTF office during the meeting.
"This can be seen as nothing short of an attempt to intimidate our membership" said Doug Jolliffe, President of OSSTF District 12 Toronto.

"What seems to be missing, as indicated by the actions of these two organizations, is an understanding, despite an explanation from me to B’nai Brith before this alert was released, that as a democratic organization, OSSTF must entertain debate on any motion duly moved and seconded, as long as it does not ask for support of an illegal action or an action which breaches our own Constitution, Policies or Bylaws" explained Jolliffe.

"The Executive can not quash debate, nor can the Executive control what items Members feel worthy of debate, nor as a democratic organization should we."

Each month, OSSTF Toronto Teachers hold a Council Meeting the purpose of which is in part to consider motions. Unless passed by a majority vote, the motions belong only to the Mover and Seconder. Motions are brought forward for debate in order to ascertain whether the idea contained therein has broad enough acceptance and support among the Membership to become the Union’s official position by a majority vote. It is only through the support of a majority of its representative Council that a motion can be approved.

"The Executive understands the emotional response these kinds of ideas provokes. We have had to grapple with that ourselves as voting Members of this meeting, and certainly we know that our Membership is not a monolith when it comes to these motions, or in fact any other motion that might come before our Council for debate. However for an outside organization to encourage and engage in this kind of heavy-handed, intimidating action before a decision as to whether these motions are ones we can support, is absurd."

"Make no mistake about it. Whether the motions are carried or defeated, it will be a reflection of the will of the majority of our Members, and that’s as it should be."

For further information contact:

Doug Jolliffe President

OSSTF District 12
(416) 393-8900, Extension 240

***

Response to B'nai Brith Alert
By STBU Executive
Jan 15, 2007, 08:45

On Time Motions

Posted on our website are the On Time Motions to our Council Meeting. On time motions are those received, in accordance with our rules, by the deadline.

An On Time Motion is not owned by the Union, nor does it reflect the position of the Executive or the Union. An On Time Motion reflects the position of the people who brought it forward.
OSSTF is a democratic organization. Therefore, in accordance with acceptable meeting practice principles (see Robert’s Rules of Order), if two members of our some 6000 members feel an issue is something they want their organization to consider and discuss, they put that issue forward in the form of a motion. They own the motion and its ideas - not the Union.
As a democratic organization, unless the ideas in the motion are illegal (ultra vires) or form a breach of the established Policy or Bylaws of our Union, the subject of the motion is considered to be In Order and therefore debatable.

The Executive can not quash debate.

Calling our office to tell us not to debate a particular subject is therefore a useless waste of your time, and ours. Neither as a group, nor as individuals do we have the right, or authority, to tell our Members what topic of discussion the organization will or will not entertain, regardless of our personal position or opinion about that topic.

The Motions coming to January Council, as they stand right now, are simply that - Motions; the ideas of two people who wish to see whether their opinion has broad enough acceptance and support among their colleagues and fellow Members that it might become the Union's official position.

A motion only becomes official OSSTF action/policy IF it is passed by a majority vote. This has not occurred.

Why Do Teachers Engage in Debates about Controversial Issues?

Many people ask why teachers are even discussing such issues. The answer, in part, is that many teacher members of our union would share the very same concern underlying that very question. That is the thing about democracy. Not everyone agrees. So, some people feel we should be looking at this particular international human rights issue. Others feel we should not. The debate will occur, and the majority will rule.

B’nai Brith Interference in OSSTF Democratic Processes

With regard to B’nai Brith’s alert, it is our belief that B’nai Brith should refrain from interference in the democratic processes of other organizations. We further feel that it is irresponsible for B’nai Brith to council people to become involved in a bullying campaign to try to force Members of a duly constituted, legal organization into not discussing an issue of interest to its Members. Our organization provides equal opportunity for those Members both in favour of and opposed to any motions being debated to state their opinion and participate in the voting process. We feel that pre-judging the topics of another’s debates is repressive.

Of interest to some may be that the information B’nai Brith provided in its most recent alert is incorrect. They indicated in their e-mail that it was as a result of community response to their last alert that the motion for December's meeting was withdrawn. In fact that motion was withdrawn prior to their alert. Had they called to check their facts, they would have been told that.

As a result of the last community alert by B’nai Brith, we had to turn off our phones because the staff who answer our phones were taking so much horrible abuse from callers, that one was actually in tears. Many of the callers motivated by B’nai Brith’s last alert were abusive.
Further, the e-mails we received as a result of B’nai Brith’s alert showed an astonishing lack of understanding of the meaning of tolerance, and some were outright hate-filled. OSSTF found it interesting to note that ignorance can breed this kind of behaviour, regardless of which community is doing the behaving.

Finally, the District 12 STBU Executive understands that discussions dealing with the middle east can provoke highly emotional responses. However we believe that no one has the right to interfere in the right of others to hold open discussion and debate, provided the topics being debated do not contravene the law and will not lead to illegal action.

© Copyright 2006 by OSSTF District 12