Joint Letter from Alberta Organizations on brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta

Dear Minister Amery,

We are shocked at the brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta by the Calgary Police Service (CPS) and the Edmonton Police Service (EPS). This is not the first time law enforcement authorities have used excessive force to respond to peaceful protesters exercising their fundamental right to peacefully assemble, and we are deeply concerned by this dangerous pattern of behaviour. 

Hundreds of students across Canada and thousands around the world are peacefully protesting the wholesale slaughter of Palestinian women, children, and men by the Israeli forces, in what the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has deemed amounts to a plausible genocide. In addition to the destruction and indiscriminate targeting of hospitals, schools, Churches/Mosques, and universities in Gaza and the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.

The right to peacefully protest is a fundamental part of our democracy, and academic institutions are a place for freedom of thought, expression, and debate. It is unacceptable that local authorities are infringing on the rights of students to peacefully demonstrate by using dangerous tactics such as what seemed to be tear gas and or flash bangs to disperse people. The use of excessive force on peaceful student protests is dangerous and reckless and will only lead to more escalation.

We strongly condemn the violent, heavy-handed approach by local authorities to suppress the right to peacefully demonstrate. Thousands of peace-loving Canadians will not stay silent as their rights to peacefully assemble are infringed upon.

We will, along with other civil liberties organizations, defend the rights of peaceful students participating in encampments across Alberta protesting the violent and indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza. Exercising our charter rights is non-negotiable, and we will not tolerate the suppression of free speech and the disproportionate response by local authorities used to do so.

We, the undersigned, ask you Minister Amery to publicly reaffirm the need for all authorities to protect and respect the rights of students across Alberta to exercise their fundamental freedoms.

 Respectfully,

  1. National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM)
  2. Ahmed Abbas Foundation
  3. Al Ameen Mosque
  4. Al Falah Mosque
  5. Al Mustafa Academy
  6. Al Rashid Mosque
  7. Canadian Muslims for Justice and Peace 
  8. Darul Ummaet
  9. Economic Prosperity and Integration Centre (EPIC Alberta)
  10. Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities (ECMC)
  11. Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
  12. Islamic Family (IFSSA)
  13. Islamic Information Society of Calgary (IISC)
  14. Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Association of Edmonton (ISIA)
  15. Islamic Supreme Council of Canada (ISCC)
  16. Jamia Riyadh Ul Jannah Mosque (JRJ)
  17. Markaz Ul Islam (Edmonton)
  18. Markaz Ul Islam (Fort McMurray)
  19. Masjid Annoor
  20. Masjid Ayesha
  21. Maskan Family Association 
  22. Muslim Association of Calgary
  23. Muslim Community Foundation Calgary
  24. Muslim Community of Edmonton (MCE)
  25. Muslim Council of Calgary (MCC) 
  26. Muslim Students Advisory Committee 
  27. Muslim Students Association MRU
  28. Muslim Students Association SAIT
  29. Muslim Students Association University of Alberta
  30. Muslim Students Association University of Calgary 
  31. Palestine Advocacy Club MRU
  32. Palestine Advocacy Club SAIT
  33. Palestine Advocacy Club University of Calgary  
  34. Partners for Humanity Foundation 
  35. Quba Masjid
  36. Sheikh Ali Sufi Islamic Centre
  37. Somali Art and Cultural Association of Canada
  38. Somali Canadian Cultural Centre (SCCS)
  39. Stable Family Development Centre
  40. Youth Lifting Youth University of Calgary