GEO Demands Ceasefire in Gaza

We the GEO call on the United States government to use its significant power and influence to bring about permanent ceasefire in Gaza and provide humanitarian aid to civilians in occupied Palestine. We have voted to join the United Auto Workers, American Postal Workers Union, Chicago Teachers’ Union, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59, the American Federation of Teachers -Oregon, the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, UFCW Local 3000, and other labor and graduate worker unions across the country. This must include an end to Israel’s over 70 year-long violent military occupation of Palestine which stands in the way of a just and durable peace for Israelis and Palestinians. We demand an end to the use of our tax dollars, tuition money, and UIUC financial investments which fund and support the deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip and ongoing military operations in Palestine. We demand an end to the United States’ unconditional material, institutional and financial backing of the Israeli military.

We mourn the horrific loss of life and unreservedly condemn the killing, kidnapping, and displacement of civilians in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.

We mourn the 1,200 Israelis and foreign national workers indiscriminately killed and the 240 kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, and we call for negotiations to continue to bring hostages home.

We mourn the over 17,000 Palestinians as of Dec. 7—including over 5,350 children as of Nov. 20—indiscriminately killed by Israeli forces, the 256 Palestinians killed in the West Bank, as well as the 7,600 Palestinian political prisoners detained by Israel.

We join the UN Human Rights Council and hundreds of human rights organizations worldwide in condemning the war crimes Israel has committed in cutting off food, water, fuel, and medical supply shipments to Gaza.

As organized laborers we will protect workers’ rights and their ability to speak up against injustice without fear of losing their jobs, particularly as educators. This is not trivial; across the country, workers’ rights and their working conditions have been degraded and violated. For example, graduate teaching assistants at the University of Texas (UT) Austin were removed from their positions after they offered mental health resources to Palestinian students. Those students, especially international students, graduate workers, people, and organizations who speak out have been silenced, disciplined, and attacked. We affirm that advocating for Palestinian liberation is not antisemitic. We reject the conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism while also condemning any discrimination against Jewish people for their ethno-religious membership and its expression. We stand with all workers here in Champaign-Urbana who are subjected to a climate of surveilled speech as well as increased anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia. We reaffirm our commitment to the safety, rights, and wellbeing of our members and community.