A paramedic from the York region who says he was fired for a comment on social networks that criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza says he wants to know if politicians were behind his termination.
Katherine Grzejszczak said she loves her job, and the comment she made was in line with her “professional obligations” as a paramedical to ask for the end of human suffering and the preservation of life.
“What is hateful are the actions of the Israeli state towards the Palestinians, not my descriptions of them,” said Grzejszczak at a press conference on Thursday.
The veteran paramedic, who was also a member of the Executive Board of Public Employees of Public Employees of Ontario, was fired on June 20 after an online comment that criticized the bombing of Israel de Gaza and several countries, and accused the country of hungry Palestinian children and killing health workers.
“In the last two years, Israel has bombarded Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and now Iran. They have been occupying Palestine for more than 75 years. They are attracting Palestinian children hungry to their camp deposits of camping for camp so they can hurry them,” he published on June 19 on June 19.
“Any union or other organization that does not fight this is to choose to remain silent during the genocide.”
Israel has repeatedly rejected the accusations of genocide, saying that it has respected international law and has the right to defend itself after the cross -border attacks of Hamas on October 7, 2023.
The president of the Union says that politicians thought it was well to interfere ‘
Last month, Vaughan Coun. Gila Martow posted on social networks that contacted the mayor of Vaughan Steven del Duca after seeing the publication of Grzejszczak.
“On Friday, June 20, they informed a paramedic used by the York region that I had allegedly published a hate message on social networks,” Martow published on Facebook on June 22.
“The mayor of Vaughan, Steven del Duca, immediately communicated with the president of the York region with the concerns of the community. The matter was investigated, and we have received confirmation that the York region no longer uses the individual.”
CBC Toronto approached Martow and Duca to comment, but he hasn’t had news yet.
The dismissal of Grzejszczak caused concern among the defenders of freedom of expression and lawyers, who said it was a violation of their right protected by the letter to freedom of expression.
He joined the followers at the press conference on Thursday, where some said he was fired because politicians did not like their opinion.
“The York region took less than 48 hours to fire Katherine at the request of politicians, who thought it was well to interfere in personnel matters. Since when can politicians shoot municipal workers?” Krista Laing, president of the municipal workers of CUPE Ontario said.
Grzejszczak could be in limbo for years: union
Mary Unan, a spokeswoman for CUPE, told CBC Toronto on Thursday that the union filed a complaint on behalf of Grzejszczak earlier this month that she was looking to restore her role and claim the unfair termination.
Unan said the union had a meeting with the York region last week, which he had until Tuesday to answer, but denied the complaint.
Unan said the union will now begin arbitration with the region, but that could take years, leaving Grzejszczak in limbo.
Grzejszczak said he wants to understand what role the politicians played in their termination.
“I hope that through the arbitration process, when we obtain the dissemination of all documents related to my termination, we have a better idea of what role those politicians played and the decision to end,” he said at the press conference.
A employment lawyer said that the York region has every right to discipline or dismiss an employee who violates their internal policies, and endings based on employee comments on personal social media accounts are very common.
“The behavior of people on social networks is not immune to the consequences in the workplace,” Daniel Lublin told CBC Toronto. “Employers have the right to discipline or fire employees for what happens in their own personal time in their own social media accounts.”
Public security is of ‘importance’: region
A spokesman from the York region did not respond whether Grzejszczak violated a specific policy or specified how their positions could affect public safety.
“Maintaining public security and trust is of the utmost importance for the York region,” said Patrick Casey in a statement on Thursday. “The York region remains committed to promoting cozy and inclusive communities, as stated by the inclusion letter for the York region.”
“We remain committed to a cozy and inclusive community where diversity is celebrated and where everyone can develop their maximum potential,” Casey said.
