The president of Canadian Union for Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario, Fred Hahn, has apologized for comments he made on Oct. 8, one day after the Hamas
attack on Israel that killed over 350 Israelis and injured more than 1,900 people in that country by late that Saturday.
“On October 7th, Hamas committed a horrific terrorist attack on civilians in Israel. On the day immediately following that, I tweeted about resistance. The timing was wrong. That was an error, and I apologize,”
wrote Mr. Hahn in an open letter on Oct. 21.
He said he “unequivocally” condemns the Hamas attack on Israel and “the disproportionate retribution by the state of Israel on the people of Palestine.”
“I have never endorsed violence,” said Mr. Hahn, who apologized for causing “stress and uncertainty” to CUPE members who have friends and family in Israel and Palestine.
Mr. Hahn, whose union represents
nearly 300,000 workers, came under fire for his social media statements, which federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan
said on Oct. 11 were a “glorification of violence.”
“I stand with the many labour leaders calling Hamas’ attacks out for what they are: terrorism. The loss of civilian life is not a cause for celebration. Not in Canada. Not anywhere,” Mr. O'Regan
told The Globe and Mail on Oct. 11.
Social Media Posts
Mr. Hahn posted statements on social media in favour of “the
power of resistance around the globe” on Oct. 8, the day after Hamas launched land, air, and sea
attacks against Israel. The terrorists also kidnapped Israeli soldiers and civilians and are currently holding some 200
hostages.
“Because Resistance is fruitful and no matter what some might say, Resistance brings progress, and for that, I’m thankful,”
wrote Mr. Hahn on platform X during the Thanksgiving weekend.
He also
shared an image on Instagram that contained the text, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”–a phrase used at some rallies and is associated with the desire for the destruction of Israel.
On Oct. 7, he reposted a message from another X user that said, “Any condemnation of violence is vapid if it does not begin & end with a condemnation of Israeli apartheid, settler colonialism, and occupation.”
Mr. Hahn also
reposted a tweet from Jewish Voice for Peace, which
read, “The Israeli government may have just declared war, but its war on Palestinians started over 75 years ago. Israeli apartheid and occupation—and United States complicity in that oppression—are the source of all this violence.”
One of the other posts Mr. Hahn
retweeted, from Proud Socialist, which has since been deleted, stated, “Israel has spent the past 75 years committing apartheid and genocide against the Palestinian people so no this was not an ‘unprovoked attack.’ This was an act of resistance against a brutal occupying force.”
Mr. Hahn has not responded to requests for comment by The Epoch Times, but in his statement on Oct. 21, he said his social media posts became “a giant lightning rod for both legitimate anger, and also for bad faith actors with a divisive agenda.”
He said misinformation “filled the void” and created confusion both within and outside the union about what CUPE’s position was, and CUPE was affected as an organization.
Mr. Hahn said CUPE is calling for an “immediate ceasefire,” as it is “gravely concerned about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza now.”
Comments following his apology on social media
questioned why Mr. Hahn was calling for a ceasefire instead of release of the hostages, while others continued to call for his
resignation.
