[Fdu] York U cross-campus alliance statement: Unite against hate, Islamophobia, and white supremacy

Thu Mar 21 19:16:19 EDT 2019

The following statement was issued earlier today by the York 
Cross-Campus Alliance, which includes the York University Faculty 
Association.

-- 

*Unite against hate, Islamophobia, and white supremacy*

*We support our Muslim colleagues, students, co-workers, and friends*

The York Cross-Campus Alliance (CCA) condemns the horrific terror attack 
that took place at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15, 
in which 50 people lost their lives and dozens more were seriously 
injured. We reject in the strongest terms possible the hate and 
Islamophobia that motivate attacks like these, as well as the white 
supremacist ideology and networks that nurture them. We re-commit 
ourselves to opposing all forms of racism and bigotry.

On behalf of our members, we express our condolences to the families and 
friends of all those affected by the attack. We also express our 
solidarity with our Muslim colleagues, students, co-workers, and friends 
at York University, and with all those communities who are feeling 
vulnerable in the wake of this terrible crime.

The terror attack in New Zealand is the latest in a number of deadly 
hate crimes that have been directed at racialized and religious 
communities in recent years.

On October 28, 2018, a shooting took place at the Tree of Life Synagogue 
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in which 11 people were killed and seven 
injured. This was the deadliest attack against the Jewish community in 
the United States, and is part of an alarming trend of anti-Semitic hate 
crimes across North America.

On January 29, 2017, a gunman opened fire during evening prayers at the 
Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, killing six and injuring 19. The 
perpetrator had a history of expressing white nationalist and 
anti-Muslim views. In the year before the attack, the mosque had been 
the target of Islamophobic hate crimes.

On June 17, 2015, nine people were killed and three injured in a 
shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 
Charleston, South Carolina, one of the oldest Black churches in the 
United States. The shooter was a white supremacist who targeted the 
church because its parishioners were Black.

The common denominator to these and many other terrorist attacks is the 
hate for difference that drives them. They have taken place against the 
backdrop of a rise in far right and white supremacist activity, which 
has become increasingly visible in many social media platforms, and have 
been assisted by the inaction of regulators, politicians, and 
governments in countries around the world, including Canada.

We are heartened by the widespread resistance that has emerged in 
response to this hate. In the wake of the attacks in Christchurch, there 
has been an international outpouring of grief, solidarity, and support 
for New Zealand’s Muslim community, just as the world rallied after the 
attacks in Pittsburgh, Quebec City, and Charleston. There has also been 
a drive to unity among diverse communities and a growing global movement 
to combat hate, racism, bigotry, and all forms of oppression.

The morning after the attacks, members of the CCA distributed single 
carnations to members of York University’s Muslim community as they 
departed Friday prayers in the Second Student Centre. This was just one 
solidarity gesture among untold others that were replicated in locations 
all over the world, a sign that love is stronger than hate.

We will build on acts like these and strengthen the bonds of solidarity 
that hold all of our communities together. As we mourn the loss of life 
in this recent tragedy, we also find comfort in the countless 
expressions of humanity that followed it and in every opportunity to 
show support for one another. We strongly believe in the possibility of 
a world without racism and bigotry, and we continue to organize to make 
that a reality.

We call for university administrators, politicians, and governments at 
all levels to take vigorous action to confront far right extremism and 
hate in all its forms, including the provocative display of hate 
symbols, and to counteract the business model of social media companies 
that derives profit from extremism and hate-mongering.

The struggle against hate is a difficult one, but we will never back 
away from it.

Read CAUT’s Statement of the Terrorist Attacks in New Zealand 
<https://www.caut.ca/latest/2019/03/statement-terrorist-attacks-new-zealand>.

Read past statements by YUFA condemning hate:

* YUFA condemns rise of anti-Semitic incidents 
<https://www.yufa.ca/yufa-condemns-rise-of-anti-semitic-incidents/>
* Unite against hate, racism, and Islamophobia 
<https://www.yufa.ca/unite-against-hate-racism-and-islamophobia/>

The York Cross-Campus Alliance includes the following groups:

* CUPE 1356 <http://1356.cupe.ca/>
* CUPE 3903 <https://3903.cupe.ca/>
* OPSEU 560 <https://opseu560.org>
* OPSEU 578 <https://opseu.org/>
* York Federation of Students <http://www.yfs.ca/>
* York University Faculty Association <https://www.yufa.ca/>
* York University Graduate Students' Association <http://www.yugsa.ca/>
* York University Staff Association <https://yusapuy.ca/>

For more information, please email yufa at yorku.ca <mailto:yufa at yorku.ca>.

Read this post online 
<https://www.yufa.ca/cca-unite-against-hate-islamophobia-and-white-supremacy/>.

-- 

*York University Faculty Association*
YUFA is the professional association and certified bargaining agent for 
approximately 1,500 faculty, librarians and archivists, and 
post-doctoral visitors at York University.

t. 416-736-5236 <tel:416-736-5236>  | Email <mailto:yufa at yorku.ca>  | 
Website <http://www.yufa.ca/>  | Facebook 
<https://www.facebook.com/yufayorku>  | Twitter 
<https://twitter.com/YUFAyorku> | YouTube 
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9LftP2oHhil5p7cDoPUMg/>

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.physics.utoronto.ca/pipermail/fdu/attachments/20190321/372a8c63/attachment-0001.html>