United in Struggle stands in defense of anti-imperialist organizer and international coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network Charlotte Kates. Kates was arrested on trumped-up charges of hate speech after speaking in support of the Palestinian armed resistance at a rally on April 26th. The leadership of United in Struggle denounce this political repression of revolutionaries and give our unqualified support to the Palestinian Resistance Movement.
The targeting of Kates is the latest heinous example of the Zionist lobby and the Canadian state working together to stifle support for the Palestinian Resistance and the struggle for Palestinian liberation. This pattern of political repression includes the termination of Natalie Knight by Langara college earlier this year. Knight was fired from her teaching position at Langara following intense pressure from former Minister of Post-Secondary education Selina Robinson and the Israeli Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. It is no coincidence that both Kates and Knight emphasized the necessity of armed struggle. The strength of the organized Palestinian resistance movement to 76 years of occupation and ethnic cleansing is a threat to the economic and geopolitical interests of the Canadian ruling class, as a core part of the Anglo-American Imperialist Alliance (AAIA).
The AAIA are actively backing Isreali genocide against Palestinians to maintain their imperial foothold in the Middle East. Canada has codified its economic relationship with Israel through the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement which facilitates an average of more than $2 billion in trade with Israel each year, and has sent over $28.5 million in new military exports to Israel since October (2023). Even though Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has verbally paused future military exports to Canada (a testimony to thousands being in the streets), all contracts before January 8th 2024 remain active as confirmed by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) on April 29th. And in addition to manufacturing and selling weapons to Israel, the Canadian state purchases Israeli weapons for its own army.
Canadian politicians promote the legitimacy of the Israeli state, while listing all factions of the Palestinian resistance as terrorist organizations. Canada has formalized its political relationship with Israel through the Canada-Israel Strategic Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and the blatant rhetoric of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby of ‘Israel’s right to defend itself’ against ‘terrorist organisations in the region’ has been used to muddy the waters on the people’s right to legitimate resistance against occupation and genocide.
The mass uprisings of students and workers in the US and Canada in support of the struggle for national liberation of Palestine is threatening to the ruling class, not only because it represents popular disillusionment with imperialist foreign policy, but further it shows how people are waking up to sham of democracy in Canada. For months, rank and file union members have been pushing Canadian labor to demand a cease fire, as demonstrated by the Hamilton and District Labour Council (HDLC), SEIU local 2, CUPE, and the Canadian Staff Union (CSU). It is not in the interests of the working class and Indigenous people to support the genocidal actions of Israel. The repression of movement leaders such as Kates is a way that the government can induce a chilling effect on political speech which challenges the status quo.
The struggle against political repression is a struggle for all working class and oppressed people. Whenever we rise up and exercise collective power, from the 1919 general strike, to Oka, to the 2020 Wet’suwet’en blockades, to the student encampments for Palestine, we face and resist state repression. As United in Struggle we stand with Charlotte and in unwavering support for the Palestinian people in their struggle against occupation and genocide. As we work to build and strengthen the workers movement across Canada we stand with the struggle of the Palestinian people for liberation from the river to the sea. Building a powerful movement to challenge the ruling class is a powerful contribution in support of the Palestinian struggle.
Drop the charges against Charlotte Kates!
Long Live the Palestinian Resistance!
Long Live International Solidarity!
United in Struggle Planning Committee
2024-05-12
United in Struggle 