Restaurant staff losing their jobs for cheering on a pro-Palestinian protest. A Palestinian Canadian journalist fired for her social media posts calling for a #freepalestine. Medical residents flagged to potential hiring committees for their support of Palestinians.

These are just some of the many instances across Canada in which employees and students have faced firings, suspensions or calls for them to not be hired based on their publicly stated political stance on the Israel-Hamas war. It’s a trend that has been reported not just in Canada but also in the U.S. and Europe, and across various industries, including media, law, health care and the service sector.

According to three Ontario-based lawyers who spoke to CBC News, some employers and institutions have been quick to take action against employees or students, creating an environment in which many are afraid they will lose their jobs or face consequences to their education if they express a political stance in favour of one side — Palestinians — during this war.

“I can tell you personally, in the last month and a half, I’ve probably spoken with someone at least once a day [about this],” said Jackie Esmonde, a labour lawyer at Toronto-based firm Cavalluzzo Law. "They’re not always cases that we take on, but we do have in the range of eight to 10 cases that we’re actively working on at the moment.

“I’m not seeing people making what I would consider hate speech or discriminatory speech.”

  • sleep_deprived@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Here’s a field manual that details the rules and has some advice. There are a whole host of rules protecting civillians hospitals, but in the case where Hamas is using them as military bases, I’d say they can be considered primarily as human shields, though I’m no expert, and even if that’s not the case they’re still civillians and therefore protected. According to paragraph 2-20, “feasible precautions” must be taken to reduce civillian harm. This means bombing is pretty much out of the question, but there are still plenty of other ways to get at Hamas, such as SpecOps, sieges, and diplomacy. It’s a difficult situation, but that doesn’t mean you get to kill civillians with impunity.

    • ArchAengelus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      My first thought, when I heard about the Hamas tunnels was: is it a war crime to pump carbon monoxide into the tunnels? Then I heard that they were keeping the hostages in the tunnels. So yes. Yes, it would be.

    • LaChaleurDeLaNuit@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      In other words “too bad you get bombed with rockets launched from hospitals and schools, now you can’t retaliate”.

      Anyway those moral lessons are given by countries and people who’ve never been in a similar situation, not by a long shot so they’re pretty much worthless.

      If you truly wanted to help the Palestinians you would advocate for a real, democratic government to rule them that would actively seek peace with Israel, not a terrorist organisation whose only goal is to annihilate it.

      • groupofcrows@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        Yes, Hamas the terrorist organisation which was funded by the Israeli government because Netanyahu didn’t want to negotiate peace with a unified Palestinian Authority. In what year did the citizens of gaza elect Hamas as their representatives?

      • filister@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        What about democratic government in Israel who is truly seeking a peaceful solution of this conflict and not a bunch of far right extremists? Is it too much to ask?

        What about a fair treatment of Palestinians, giving them some dignity? The war and the conditions regular Palestinians are put through are only going to radicalize even more people there. Look at yourself, you seem to be hating and generalising them as all being supporters of Hamas, but look at yourself, you seem quite on the far right spectrum without even going through this hell. So how are you seriously expecting any better from them, who for generations have been treated as second class citizens.

        And believe me very few people here are antisemites, as you claim. I believe most people are making a difference between your government actions and regular people. And calling everyone who is pro-human rights person antisemite is a common apologist point of view.

        And again, if you had managed to find peace with them and was treating them fairly in the past and wasn’t conducting violent indiscriminate war against them for decades, yes, I said decades, because it is concerted effort not starting just now but going for a very long time, I am sure the antisemite globally would be a lot lower number.

        • LaChaleurDeLaNuit@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Don’t call yourself pro-human right if you’re unable to condemn terrorism when it’s in front of your, when literal peace activists are currently held hostages in gaza. Dont lecture me on human rights when you support a country that executes gay people.

          You really think being anti Israel is being pro human rights?

          Your speech is very nice and full of hope but it completely erases the fact that children in Palestine are raised to hate Jews, but I guess antisemitism is basic human rights too.

          Also I don’t mind being called right wing, it’s only a slur for you.

          “You generalize all palestiniens being supporters of Hamas’” take a look at this poll

          bottom line:

          Some 60 per cent in Gaza expressed support for the armed struggle against Israel, as did 70 per cent in the West Bank

      • sleep_deprived@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        They’re welcome to retaliate. They’re just not allowed to indiscriminately bomb civillian infrastructure.