Demand Scott Moe apologize and call for ceasefire in Gaza
Demand Scott Moe apologize and call for ceasefire in Gaza
The Issue
On November 20th 2023, Question Period at the Saskatchewan Legislature was interrupted by protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Houseleader Jeremy Harrison and Premier Scott Moe used the terms ‘rioters’ and ‘extremists’ for those who came to have their voices heard: in a recent poll, 71% of Canadians supported a ceasefire.
Mr Moe falsely accused NDP MLAs of playing a role in the protest and called them “a gathering of extremists”.
Please add your name to this letter asking for a ceasefire, an apology for using inflammatory language, and a recognition of Palestinian suffering.
Thank you,
CJPME Saskatoon Chapter
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-polling-israel-hamas-war-cessation-hostilities-1.7022510
Hon. Scott Moe,
We are writing to you today to express our deep shock and disappointment with your government’s response to the Israeli siege, bombardment, and invasion of Gaza. We believe that through your party’s refusal to call for a permanent ceasefire in the face of Israel’s deliberate targeting of civilians which has resulted in the unprecedented loss of civilian life, you have failed in your position as a leader and representative for all of the citizens of Saskatchewan.
We believe that your government has shown a clear bias. While the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 was horrific, this does not permit Israel to commit war crimes such as collective punishment. By solely recognizing the loss of innocent life in Israel, indicated by the flying of only the Israeli flag in the lobby of the Legislative building as well as the donation of $100,000 of taxpayer dollars to the victims of violence in Israel alone, you have taken a position against official Canadian foreign policy, which calls for a two-state solution that includes a viable Palestine.
In your one-sided support of Israel, an occupying power that has ignored dozens of United Nations resolutions, you have failed to both recognize and speak out against violations of the Geneva conventions (including collective punishment and the targeting of civilian infrastructure including hospitals, schools, refugee camps, public markets, and residential high rises full of people) and Crimes Against Humanity under the Rome Statute (including forcible transfer of a population, abduction, and torture). Further, several United Nations experts in human rights and the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, warn that what is unfolding in Gaza is genocide, the most serious crime under international law.
This bias and refusal to both recognize or take steps toward stopping the loss of innocent Palestinian lives, has bred deep disappointment, frustration and anger within our communities. To many people who have family still living in Palestine, who trace their roots to the area, who share a common faith or ethnicity, and all of those who care about basic human rights and dignity, it seems clear that Palestinian lives are valued less and even seen as disposable.
We believe that your government’s accusation that the NDP caucus has an “antisemitism problem” is a thinly-veiled attack on the majority Arab and Muslim individuals who peacefully disrupted the Legislative proceedings with chants demanding a ceasefire. Although no evidence of violence or threat whatsoever by this group has been shared publicly and a Legislative investigation into the incident has been dropped, the Saskatchewan Party House Leader Jeremy Harrison saw fit to label these protestors as “rioters” while Scott Moe referred to their position as “extremist.” This representation feeds into Islamophobic stereotypes and anti-Palestinian racism that characterize members of these groups as inherently radical, hateful, and violent and stokes fear and bias within the public, which is increasingly spilling over into violence.
We, the signatories of this letter, demand that you recognize the value and the responsibility to protect all human life, particularly those of Palestinian children. To that end, we demand that your party call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a negotiated settlement that recognizes the equality of all people living in Israel and Palestine and their right to live in peace and security, with full human rights under international law. Further, in light of Israel’s ongoing and multiple gross violations of human rights and international law, we demand that the Israeli flag be taken down in the lobby of the Legislative building, sending a clear sign that the people of Saskatchewan do not condone or endorse such actions.
Finally, we demand that your government apologize to the protestors who attended the legislature on November 20 for your false accusations and mischaracterization of their actions.
As our elected officials, we deserve better from you.
Signed,
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) Saskatoon Chapter
2,267
The Issue
On November 20th 2023, Question Period at the Saskatchewan Legislature was interrupted by protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Houseleader Jeremy Harrison and Premier Scott Moe used the terms ‘rioters’ and ‘extremists’ for those who came to have their voices heard: in a recent poll, 71% of Canadians supported a ceasefire.
Mr Moe falsely accused NDP MLAs of playing a role in the protest and called them “a gathering of extremists”.
Please add your name to this letter asking for a ceasefire, an apology for using inflammatory language, and a recognition of Palestinian suffering.
Thank you,
CJPME Saskatoon Chapter
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-polling-israel-hamas-war-cessation-hostilities-1.7022510
Hon. Scott Moe,
We are writing to you today to express our deep shock and disappointment with your government’s response to the Israeli siege, bombardment, and invasion of Gaza. We believe that through your party’s refusal to call for a permanent ceasefire in the face of Israel’s deliberate targeting of civilians which has resulted in the unprecedented loss of civilian life, you have failed in your position as a leader and representative for all of the citizens of Saskatchewan.
We believe that your government has shown a clear bias. While the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 was horrific, this does not permit Israel to commit war crimes such as collective punishment. By solely recognizing the loss of innocent life in Israel, indicated by the flying of only the Israeli flag in the lobby of the Legislative building as well as the donation of $100,000 of taxpayer dollars to the victims of violence in Israel alone, you have taken a position against official Canadian foreign policy, which calls for a two-state solution that includes a viable Palestine.
In your one-sided support of Israel, an occupying power that has ignored dozens of United Nations resolutions, you have failed to both recognize and speak out against violations of the Geneva conventions (including collective punishment and the targeting of civilian infrastructure including hospitals, schools, refugee camps, public markets, and residential high rises full of people) and Crimes Against Humanity under the Rome Statute (including forcible transfer of a population, abduction, and torture). Further, several United Nations experts in human rights and the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, warn that what is unfolding in Gaza is genocide, the most serious crime under international law.
This bias and refusal to both recognize or take steps toward stopping the loss of innocent Palestinian lives, has bred deep disappointment, frustration and anger within our communities. To many people who have family still living in Palestine, who trace their roots to the area, who share a common faith or ethnicity, and all of those who care about basic human rights and dignity, it seems clear that Palestinian lives are valued less and even seen as disposable.
We believe that your government’s accusation that the NDP caucus has an “antisemitism problem” is a thinly-veiled attack on the majority Arab and Muslim individuals who peacefully disrupted the Legislative proceedings with chants demanding a ceasefire. Although no evidence of violence or threat whatsoever by this group has been shared publicly and a Legislative investigation into the incident has been dropped, the Saskatchewan Party House Leader Jeremy Harrison saw fit to label these protestors as “rioters” while Scott Moe referred to their position as “extremist.” This representation feeds into Islamophobic stereotypes and anti-Palestinian racism that characterize members of these groups as inherently radical, hateful, and violent and stokes fear and bias within the public, which is increasingly spilling over into violence.
We, the signatories of this letter, demand that you recognize the value and the responsibility to protect all human life, particularly those of Palestinian children. To that end, we demand that your party call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a negotiated settlement that recognizes the equality of all people living in Israel and Palestine and their right to live in peace and security, with full human rights under international law. Further, in light of Israel’s ongoing and multiple gross violations of human rights and international law, we demand that the Israeli flag be taken down in the lobby of the Legislative building, sending a clear sign that the people of Saskatchewan do not condone or endorse such actions.
Finally, we demand that your government apologize to the protestors who attended the legislature on November 20 for your false accusations and mischaracterization of their actions.
As our elected officials, we deserve better from you.
Signed,
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) Saskatoon Chapter
2,267
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Petition created on January 4, 2024