June 3, 2021 - Below is a statement from CJPME in support of Javier Davila, a Toronto anti-oppression educator who is being disciplined and investigated for sharing information on Palestine.
Download a PDF version of the statement here.
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) stands in solidarity with Toronto anti-oppression educator Javier Davila, and calls on the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) to drop any investigative and disciplinary actions against him.
Davila is the target of a politically motivated campaign to censor speech on Palestinian human rights. In May, Davila shared anti-oppression materials with a focus on Palestine to other teachers via an opt-in listserve. For this, he has been repeatedly attacked by a Toronto Sun columnist and the pro-Israel group B’nai Brith Canada, who have been calling for him to be fired from his position with the TDSB.
Outrageously, the TDSB has given in to these bad-faith attacks against Davila, putting him under investigation and on home assignment. In addition to the personal injustice this has caused to Davila, these actions give fuel to Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian bigotry and effectively endorse the goals of political actors who are seeking to silence critics of Israeli actions.
Davila has done absolutely nothing to justify this disciplinary action. CJPME has reviewed the supposedly controversial material and found that it features credible and thoughtful perspectives from Palestinians, as well as Jews, civil rights leaders, and human rights organizations. Davila provided a real service by offering quality information to teachers who are looking to improve their understanding of the core issues.
Anti-racist and decolonial education must be extended to include Palestinians who, on an ongoing basis, are being dispossessed of their land, subjected to racist laws, and forced to live under oppressive conditions broadly recognized as settler-colonialism and apartheid. To punish an anti-racist educator for sharing Palestinian perspectives on the oppression they face is perverse and completely backwards.
The TDSB must stand behind Javier Davila. CJPME urges Canadians to sign the petition #JusticeForJavier: https://tdsbremoteteachersupportgroup.wpcomstaging.com/475-2/