A message from the CUPE 3902 Exec to U of T President Meric Gertler

Dear President Gertler,

As you know, CUPE 3902 has worked hard to facilitate productive conversations with the University of Toronto administration and student organizers from U of T Occupy for Palestine regarding their demands for financial disclosure, divestment from Israeli apartheid, and termination of all partnerships with Israeli academic institutions that operate on illegal settlements or support/sustain Israel’s apartheid policies and its ongoing genocide in Gaza.  

Your recent letter to U of T Occupy for Palestine and accompanying offer constitute a serious and deeply concerning escalation of the administration’s negotiating tactics. The CUPE 3902 Executive condemns the administration’s presentation of an offer to student organizers under the threat of forceful removal from their protest encampment.  

The subsequent notice of trespass issued to the encampment on Friday, May 24, 2024 is a further escalation that threatens to criminalize the right to gather and protest across U of T campus amidst an ongoing genocide. 

Should the U of T administration authorize the Toronto Police Service to clear the encampment, CUPE 3902 is prepared to take further action. 

Sincerely,
The CUPE 3902 Exec