CUPE Board Calls on Union Chief Fred Hahn to Resign

Ontario union leader Fred Hahn has been asked to step down from his position after sharing a video on social media that his board has called “problematic.”
The national executive board of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said on Aug. 22 that it voted to ask Hahn to resign.
“Nothing about this decision negates Fred’s lifelong commitment to CUPE members and union activism.”
The video posted by Hahn has since been deleted, but it showed a Jewish Olympic diver with a Star of David on his arm. The diver jumps off a diving board and heads toward the water. He turns into a bomb and explodes, hurting civilians, according to media reports.
Hahn said that he removed his post and regrets any offence it caused.
“My intent was never to associate Jewish people with the violence enacted by the state of Israel. It remains my strongly held view that it is a terrible mistake, and anti-Semitic, to conflate abhorrent actions by the state of Israel with Jewish humanity or identity.”
Premier Doug Ford said he supported CUPE’s decision.
In the 45-second video, Hahn said he was representing his members and that he was not talking about Jews but rather the state of Israel.
“Fred’s actions have contributed to the fracturing of the CUPE Ontario labour movement,” the letter said. “We further request that CUPE Ontario focus their efforts on supporting the work of their membership and building solidarity within membership on shared labour issues.”
He also posted an image on Instagram with the text “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”—a phrase associated with the desire for the destruction of Israel.
He issued an apology for the posts 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.”
Hahn said he was sorry for causing stress to CUPE members with friends or family in Israel or Palestine.