Justice for Palestine Subcommittee Resolutions
The following motions were submitted by members of the Canadian Sociological Association for inclusion in the Annual General Meeting Agenda on June 25, 2024. All motions were approved by a majority of members in attendance at the meeting.
1. On behalf of its members, shall issue a call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and condemning scholasticide, including the total annihilation of educational systems in Gaza, and the systematic destruction of educational life in the rest of Palestine.
2. Unequivocally support the academic freedom of its members and our students. This freedom includes the pursuit of knowledge and education free from harm, censorship, intimidation, and silencing. It also includes defending scholars' right to speak out against Zionist occupation and settler-colonialism, and supporting students’ Charter rights to engage in protest actions such as the ongoing encampments on university campuses.
3. Establish a subcommittee called the Subcommittee For Justice in Palestine.
This subcommittee will serve as a dedicated platform for comprehensive research, dialogue, and advocacy, focusing on acts of scholasticide, genocide, and systemic violence in Palestine. The subcommittee will address the systematic destruction of educational institutions and cultural heritage, which undermines the intellectual and cultural foundations of Palestinian society. The subcommittee will work to prevent atrocities and support affected Palestinian scholars and students. The subcommittee will also explore the complexities of Palestinian liberation and Israel’s ongoing settler-colonial practices, aiming to promote justice, peace, and human rights. Through these efforts, the subcommittee will enhance the Canadian sociological community's role in global human rights advocacy, informed policy-making, and educational initiatives, thereby fostering social justice and the protection of cultural heritage in Palestine.
The subcommittee will be tasked with:
- Mobilizing knowledge and resources for the membership to address scholasticide, settler-colonialism, and Zionist occupation in Palestine.
- Fostering collaboration and partnerships with academic institutions, organizations, and community groups dedicated to addressing scholasticide in Palestine, including, but not limited to, reporting on initiatives aimed at strengthening the scholastic and pedagogical rights and opportunities for Palestinian scholars and students.
- Strengthening links with and supporting Palestinian scholars and students.
- Advancing support for the academic freedom of all sociologists and sociology students targeted for their scholarship and activism in support of the Palestinian struggle.
- Reporting on the state of educational initiatives in Canadian universities on anti-Palestinian racism, genocide, and de-colonization.
- Bringing current and emerging issues of concern dealing with anti-Palestinian racism and scholasticide to the attention of the Association.
- Working in ways that complement and connect with other anti-racist struggles,including (but not limited to) struggles against Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Black racism, and Canadian settler colonialism.