Statement in Solidarity with Palestine

August 7, 2025

As a union con­cerned with uphold­ing human rights and aca­d­e­m­ic free­dom, the Uni­ver­si­ty of Regi­na Fac­ul­ty Asso­ci­a­tion (URFA) affirms our sol­i­dar­i­ty with the Pales­tin­ian peo­ple — schol­ars, work­ers, stu­dents, and all those endur­ing the vio­lent sup­pres­sion of their right to life, safe­ty, edu­ca­tion, and self-determination. 

We con­demn Israel’s ongo­ing assault on Gaza, which has killed over 60,000 (approx.) Pales­tini­ans, includ­ing thou­sands of chil­dren, and sys­tem­at­i­cal­ly destroyed uni­ver­si­ties, schools, libraries, and archives. The tar­get­ing of Pales­tin­ian intel­lec­tu­als and the killing of hun­dreds of pro­fes­sors, teach­ers, and stu­dents, con­sti­tutes an attack on Pales­tin­ian knowl­edge, cul­ture, and col­lec­tive memory.

At our Gen­er­al Mem­ber­ship Meet­ing in April 2025, URFA mem­bers passed a motion in sup­port of Gaza. This res­o­lu­tion includ­ed advanc­ing the Boy­cott, Divest­ment, and Sanc­tions (BDS) move­ment and call­ing on the Uni­ver­si­ty of Regi­na, Cam­pi­on Col­lege, First Nations Uni­ver­si­ty of Cana­da, and Luther Col­lege to divest any and all finan­cial hold­ings in com­pa­nies that sup­port the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) or the State of Israel’s occu­pa­tion of Pales­tin­ian Ter­ri­to­ries and its mil­i­tary assault on Gaza and the Pales­tin­ian people.

As a union and leader in Saskatchewan post-sec­ondary advo­ca­cy, URFA:

• Stands in sol­i­dar­i­ty with Pales­tin­ian schol­ars, stu­dents, and work­ers at risk
• Demands an end to the geno­cide in Gaza, the occu­pa­tion of Pales­tine, and the block­age deny­ing Pales­tini­ans access to food, med­i­cine, edu­ca­tion, and oth­er neces­si­ties for survival
• Calls on the Gov­ern­ment of Cana­da and Cana­di­an post-sec­ondary insti­tu­tions to pro­vide schol­ar­ships and safe pas­sage for Pales­tin­ian aca­d­e­mics and stu­dents at risk
• Urges the Uni­ver­si­ty of Regi­na and affil­i­at­ed col­leges to issue a state­ment con­demn­ing Israel’s destruc­tion of Pales­tin­ian aca­d­e­m­ic insti­tu­tions, divest from invest­ments that sup­port the IDF or the State of Israel’s occu­pa­tion of Pales­tin­ian Ter­ri­to­ries and move to eth­i­cal invest­ments, and ensure no dis­ci­pli­nary action will be tak­en against fac­ul­ty or stu­dents who sup­port Pales­tin­ian rights.

Along with work­ers across the world, we reaf­firm our unwa­ver­ing sup­port for the Pales­tin­ian peo­ple and their rights to life, self-deter­mi­na­tion, and the pur­suit of education.

Note: This state­ment was sent as a let­ter to Prime Min­is­ter Mark Car­ney, with cc’s to the Cana­di­an Labour Con­gress, Saskatchewan Fed­er­a­tion of Labour, Cana­di­an Asso­ci­a­tion of Uni­ver­si­ty Teach­ers, Cana­di­ans for Jus­tice and Peace in the Mid­dle East, and Fac­ul­ty for Palestine.