Faculty for Palestine (F4P) is a Canada-wide solidarity network of academics committed to advancing the struggle for Palestinian liberation, justice, and equality through the academic sector. F4P is founded on anti-racist, anti-colonial, social justice principles and foregrounds opposition to Israeli apartheid, occupation, and settler colonialism in its work. F4P organizes on issues of academic freedom, freedom of expression, and boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel; supports and organizes educational activities and actions focused on Israeli apartheid, occupation, settler colonialism, and the Palestinian right to education. F4P is an active partner in the global BDS movement, working closely with the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), the Right to Education Campaign, and other partners in the Palestine solidarity movement transnationally. F4P stands against all forms of racism and specifically advocates on anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism.
Faculty for Palestine (F4P) formed in spring 2008 as a committee of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA) in Toronto. The F4P network has grown to include more than 600 faculty of all ranks (tenured, contract, emeritus, independent researchers, retired, visiting scholars) from more than 40 universities and 15 colleges across Canada. F4P responded to the 2005 call from Palestinian civil society to join the Palestinian-led BDS movement, upholding the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity. F4P is not a cultural or ethnic organizing group, it is a solidarity organization and network involved as a partner in the global BDS movement.
F4P Canada Basis of Unity
We are an anti-colonial, anti-racist network that contributes to advancing the Palestinian struggle for liberation.
We endorse the Palestinian-led campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel; and support, organize BDS campaigns and defend BDS-related work.
We endorse the Palestinian right to education under colonial occupation and apartheid, and support building ties with Palestinian academic institutions, colleagues, students, and staff.
We seek direction from PACBI and the Palestinian Boycott National Committee on priorities and demands to advance the BDS campaign and the broader struggle for freedom, justice, and equality.
We oppose all forms of discrimination and oppression, including anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Palestinian racism, anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, antisemitism, sexism, queerphobia, transphobia, and ableism.
We oppose the fallacious conflations of anti-Zionism with antisemitism, and of Zionism with Judaism, and we affirm the right to criticize any state, including the state of Israel.
We reject the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism on the grounds that it poses a grave threat to academic freedom and undermines intersectional anti-racist campaigns in our educational institutions.
We stand in solidarity with oppressed groups, liberation struggles and social justice movements that share anti-racist, anti-colonial and anti-imperialist principles.