[van-announce] Updated: Human Rights and Solidarity Groups in Canada support Richard Falk - Sign On

[Charlotte Kates]

*Many new signatories have joined this statement in solidarity with Richard
Falk, including the Canadian Union of Postal Workers! Please see below for
updated list, share widely, and please add your names to the statement:*

Human Rights and Solidarity Groups in Canada support Richard
Falk<http://www.boycottisraeliapartheid.org/2012/human-rights-and-solidarity-groups-in-canada-support-richard-falk/>

If you would like to sign on to this statement, please email
boycottapartheid at gmail.com or click here to use our online
form.<http://www.boycottisraeliapartheid.org/2012/human-rights-and-solidarity-groups-in-canada-support-richard-falk/#form>

*Statement on Richard Falk*

We, the undersigned, write today to make clear our strong opposition to the
recent Canadian government call for the resignation of Richard Falk, UN
Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The attack came following comments by Richard Falk on October 24 that
highlighted corporate complicity in illegal Israeli settlements on occupied
Palestinian land in the West Bank and Jerusalem. He noted that the
settlements are in clear violation of international law, and warned that
civil and criminal liability may be extended to companies acting in
contravention of international human rights. Falk called for boycott of
corporations engaging in such business practices, drawing particular
attention to the activities of Caterpillar Incorporated (USA); Veolia
Environment (France); G4S (United Kingdom); The Dexia Group (Belgium);
Ahava (Israel); the Volvo Group (Sweden); the Riwal Holding Group (the
Netherlands); Elbit Systems (Israel); Hewlett Packard (USA); Mehadrin
(Israel); Motorola (USA); Assa Abloy (Sweden); and Cemex (Mexico) in
establishing and maintaining settlements.

Falk's comments are consistent with the 2005 call by Palestinian civil
society for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel and
complicit corporations until Israel recognizes international law by:

"1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and
dismantling the Wall
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of
Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees
to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194."

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird labelled Falk's comments "offensive and
extremely unhelpful," and "biased and disgraceful," while Immigration
Minister Jason Kenney accused Falk of "singl[ing] out the only Jewish
country in the world for particularly unfair treatment." Kenney admitted
that he did not read Falk’s report before making his accusations.

Baird's statement that exposing corporate complicity is "offensive and
unhelpful" turns reality on its head; it is Canada's ongoing support for
Israeli occupation and apartheid in Palestine that is offensive and
unhelpful. In addition, multinational corporations are not in any sense
victims nor "singled out" for "unfair treatment."

Falk's record as Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories is exemplary. A distinguished scholar of
international law, Falk's voice of conscience has risen time and again to
oppose Israeli impunity for human rights violations, from the Cast Lead
assault on Gaza to the mass imprisonment of Palestinian political
prisoners. It is in fact because of his dedication to conscience that he
comes under attack today.

Falk's statement in response to Baird and Kenney pointed out the failure of
the international community to take any substantive action regarding
Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights. “This is taking one more
concrete, tangible step in saying that if governments don't take the
international law obligations of Israel seriously, and if the UN as an
institution doesn't take it seriously, then it's time to recommend some
more tangible way of implementing the obligations of Israel."

Baird and Kenney's criticism of Falk is only the latest in a long line of
official Canadian actions in support of Israeli apartheid. From Canada's
position as one of the earliest advocates of the establishment of Israel,
to being the first country to support a siege against Gaza in 2006, to
Baird's recent declarations that Canada is "Israel's best friend," to the
defunding of Palestinian and Arab community organizations by Kenney's
Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration and Kenney’s repeated attacks on
supporters of Palestinian rights, Canada's record is one of overt support
for Israeli apartheid - and its corporate partners.

We note that Canada's rigid defense of Israeli settler colonialism speaks
directly to its own realities of historical genocidal policies -- including
residential schools, and ongoing colonisation --- including exploitation
for resource extraction, of Indigenous peoples, and protection of Canadian
mining corporations in their on-going human rights violations throughout
Latin America and Africa

We stand in solidarity with Richard Falk and with the Palestinian people,
and we call on the Canadian government to apologize for this latest attack
on supporters of Palestinian human rights.

Signatories:
Alliance for People's Health <http://aphvan.wordpress.com/>
Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign -
Vancouver<http://boycottisraeliapartheid.org/>
Canada Palestine Association <http://cpavancouver.org/>
Canada-Philippines Solidarity for Human
Rights<http://www.canadaphilippinessolidarity.org/>
Canadian Boat to Gaza <http://tahrir.ca/>
Canadian Forum for Justice and Peace in Sri Lanka
Canadian Union of Postal Workers <http://www.cupw.ca/>
Centre for Social Justice <http://socialjustice.org/>
Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA), Toronto<http://www.caiaweb.org/>
Edmonton Queers Against Israeli Apartheid
Edmonton Small Press Association
Faculty for Palestine
(F4P)<https://www.facebook.com/FacultyForPalestine?ref=stream>
Free Palestine Alliance
Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War<http://www.hamiltoncoalitiontostopthewar.ca/>
Independent Jewish
Voices<http://www.boycottisraeliapartheid.org/biac/wp-admin/ijvcanada.org>
Independent Jewish Voices - Vancouver
Justice for Palestinians - Calgary
International League of People's Struggles - Canada <http://ilps-canada.ca/>
L'Étoile du Nord
Les Artistes pour la Paix <http://artistespourlapaix.org/>
Labour for Palestine, Toronto
McMaster Muslims for Peace and Justice
No One Is Illegal - Vancouver Unceded Coast Salish
Territories<http://nooneisillegal.org/>
Palestine Solidarity Network - Edmonton <http://psnedmonton.org/>
Palestinian Canadian Congress <http://www.pcc-cpc.ca/>
Palestinian And Jewish Unity (PAJU) <http://www.pajumontreal.org/>
People for Peace - London, ON
Queers Against Israeli Apartheid <http://queersagainstapartheid.org/>
Regina Solidarity Group <http://reginasolidaritygroup.com/>
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network <http://samidoun.ca/>
Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group <http://sfpirg.ca/>
Socialist Project <http://www.socialistproject.ca/>
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) - University of British
Columbia
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) - McMaster University
Stopwar.ca <http://stopwar.ca/>
Students Against Israeli Apartheid - Carleton
University<http://www.carleton.saia.ca/>
Students Against Israeli Apartheid - Regina <http://saiaregina.com/>
Students Against Israeli Apartheid - York University<http://toronto.saia.ca/>
Students for Justice in Palestine - Ryerson
University<http://www.sjpryerson.com/>
Students for Palestinian Rights - University of
Waterloo<http://sfpr.uwaterloo.ca/>
Toronto Students for Justice in
Palestine<http://www.facebook.com/TorontoStudentsForJusticeInPalestine?fref=ts>
Voice of Palestine <http://www.voiceofpalestine.ca/>
Winnipeg Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid <http://www.wcaia.ca/>

*Individual signatories*

Stella Abbas, Bath, ME
Haidar Abdulrazak, Calgary, AB
Yousef Abudayyeh, San Diego, CA
Laurie Adkin, Edmonton, AB
Antonio Artuso, Montreal, QC
Abdul-Jabbar Asiri, Ottawa, ON
Sabrine Azraq, Toronto, ON
Haroon Bajwa, Vancouver, BC
Khaled Barakat, Vancouver, BC
Mahnaz Beiraghdar, London, ON
Charles Belcher, Vancouver, BC
Bill Bell, Selkirk, ON
Carl Bergquist, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Bonnie Black, Toronto, ON
Dave Bleakney, Ottawa, ON
Lynnette Bondarchuk, Edmonton, AB
Robin Boodle, Victoria, BC
Alison Braley-Rattai, London, ON
Sharon Burns, Vancouver, BC
Brian Campbell, Vancouver, BC
Sam Choukeir, St. Catharines, ON
Everett Coldwell, Dartmouth, NS
Kathy Copps, Vancouver, BC
Dr Edwin E Daniel, Victoria, BC
Peter Davis, Vancouver, BC
Nouzha Deramchi, Ottawa, ON
Tar De Moutonnoir, Montreal, QC
Katherine Dunster, Denman Island, BC
Glenn Fidler, Comox, BC
Mary Fidler, Comox, BC
Claudette Fortier, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC
Jack Friesen, Courtenay, BC
Sonia Galbi, Vancouver, BC
Pat Gibbs, Maple Ridge, BC
Judith Goldschmidt, Courtenay, BC
Dr Richard Gordon, Vancouver, BC
Ann Grant, Vancouver, BC
Donald Grayston, Vancouver, BC
Richard Guillemette, Dollard, QC
Evelyn Hamdon, Edmonton, AB
David Heap, London, ON
Evelyn Hecht-Galinski
Walt Heinzie, Delaware, ON
Sandra Hennessey, London, ON
David Himmelstein, Montreal, QC
Jim Hyder, Las Vegas, NV (US)
Joy Johnston, Comox, BC
Rioth Jomha, Edmonton, AB
Charlotte Kates, Vancouver, BC
Bruce Katz, Montreal, QC
Geoff Kershaw
Nancy G Klassen, Coquitlam, BC
Atif Kubursi, Professor of Economics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
Michel Labelle, Montreal, QC
Elise Leblanc, Halifax, NS
Rod Lemay, Vancouver, BC
Denis Lemelin, Gatineau, QC
Mary Lewis, Vancouver, BC
Gene Logan, Vancouver, BC
Aleah Loney, Montreal, QC
Amir M. Maasoumi, Montreal, QC
Johanna Mazur, Burnaby, BC
Gene McGuckin, Burnaby, BC
Christine McMeckan, Edmonton, AB
Marie McMeckan, Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Douglas Meggison, Edmonton, AB
Linda Meissenheimer, Toronto, ON
Rabbi David Mivasair
Carel Moiseiwitsch, Vancouver, BC
Khaled Mouammar, Richmond Hill, ON
Marlene Newesri, New York (US)
Marcus Peterson, Edmonton, Alberta
Marion Pollack, retiree
Valeriy Retyunin, Toronto, ON
Martha Roth, Independent Jewish Voices-Vancouver, BC
Paul Roy, Montreal, QC
Helen Sadowski, Edmonton, AB
John Soos, Vancouver, BC
Michael Springate, Vancouver, BC
Stan Squires, Vancouver, BC
Glen Staples, Courtenay, BC
Charles Steele, Vancouver, BC
Ken Stone, Hamilton, ON
Susan Stout, North Vancouver, BC
Ron Strand, Vancouver, BC
Randolph Taylor, Tahsis, BC
Harvey Totten
Nina Truscott, Burlington, ON
John Turnbull, Vancouver, BC
Peter Vickers, BC
Robert Wilde, Edmonton, AB
Victor Woods, Courtenay, BC
Art Young, Toronto, ON
Carrie Zadrazil, Sechelt, BC



-- 
Charlotte L. Kates     charlotte.kates at gmail.com