It is debatable whether Canadian labor leader Fred Hahn is an antisemite, but he is certainly grossly insensitive to Jews and undeniably hostile toward Israel.
Which makes him a highly divisive leader and an ignoble character who does not belong in his job.
On August 21, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced it had “lost confidence” in Hahn, the president of CUPE Ontario and a general vice-president of CUPE’s national executive board.
CUPE’s national president, Mark Hancock, demanded his resignation by the following day, saying that Hahn had been given “pretty strong direction” to step down after posting a vile video on Facebook on August 11 that hurt and angered some CUPE members, especially its Jewish ones.
Hancock did not take his decision lightly. “This is a really sad day,” he said. “Fred is a colleague and a friend.”
Having denounced Hahn, Hancock must see to it that he resigns.
Hahn’s digitally manipulated video is repulsive. It showed a Jewish athlete at the Paris Olympics Games with a Star of David tattoo on his arm jumping off a diving board and turning into an exploding bomb.
This outrageous, mean-spirited and juvenile video aroused indignation, prompting Hahn to express “deep regret” at causing pain. Hahn said he was trying to convey the message that allowing Israeli athletes to compete at the Olympics while banning the Russian Federation was a “double standard,” which is nonsense.
In the same breath, he cavalierly wrote, “I want to be clear. I utterly reject the charge of antisemitism. Anyone who knows and works with me knows it to be a lie. It remains my strongly held view that it is a terrible mistake, and antisemitic, to conflate abhorrent actions by the state of Israel with Jewish humanity or identity.”
Hahn, of course, was referring to Israel’s just campaign in the Gaza Strip to dismantle the military capabilities of Hamas and prevent it from ever ruling Gaza again after its murderous attack in southern Israel on October 7 that claimed the lives of roughly 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals.
Hahn evidently thinks that Israel has no legitimate right of self-defence in the face of naked aggression. He misguidedly believes that the Israeli armed forces have committed genocide in Gaza. He has a positive opinion of Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by major Western countries
Shortly after the October 7 massacre, Hahn characterized Hamas’ bloody rampage as a form of Palestinian resistance, but subsequently, he issued a half-baked apology. “Hamas committed a horrific terrorist attack on civilians in Israel,” he said in an open letter. “On the day immediately following that, I tweeted about resistance. The timing was wrong. That was an error, and I apologize.”
Hahn’s mealy-mouthed comment speaks for itself. He was concerned only about the “timing,” but not about the horrendous significance, of his statement.
It is clear that Hahn implicitly endorsed the October 7 attack as an “heroic” act of resistance on the part of Hamas, an Iranian proxy whose overarching goal is Israel’s destruction.
Calling for the elimination of an internationally-recognized nation and the sole Jewish member state of the United Nations is nothing less than loathsome and ultimately antisemitic.
Which is precisely why the labor minister of Ontario, David Piccini, had no compunction in lambasting Hahn as an “antisemite.” His boss, Premier Doug Ford, dismissed Hahn as “a disgusting human being.”
Despite Hahn’a appalling track record, he remains in his two positions following Hancock’s virtual ultimatum.
Yesterday, the day he was supposed to relinquish his posts, he released a self-serving statement indicating he has no intention of leaving.
“I have always had faith in the members of CUPE Ontario and been proud of the faith they placed in me by repeatedly, and democratically, electing me at both the provincial and national level,” he said. “There is much work to be done — and because I respect the democracy of our union, the choice of our members, I will be here to continue to fight side by side with all of you.”
Hahn contends that “the members should decide” his fate, noting he was reelected as both the regional general vice-president and the president of CUPE Ontario. Democracy needs to be respected, he said.
He added that CUPE members who are “active in the Palestinian solidarity movement could be left more vulnerable and exposed by the precedent as they face similar situations as work.”
Hahn should be relieved of his duties without any further delay. He is not fit be in a position of power and authority. He has lost his credibility and tarnishes CUPE’s image.