Press Release: APR and Wrongful Dismissal at NTN Bearing Corporation

After more than 15 years of service with bearing manufacturing company NTN, Amjad Ramadan was fired for expressing concern for his people as they endured a genocide.

Amjad’s dismissal wasn’t based on his job performance—in previous years, he had been recognized for his service as employee of the year. His dismissal was based on his interactions with colleagues as he sought to raise awareness of the genocide in Gaza, and a malicious doxxing campaign which framed Amjad’s participation in peaceful demonstrations as antisemitic and glorifying terror.

Amjad’s interactions with colleagues were framed by management as “pressing a political agenda” instead of the deeply personal matter that it was, as Amjad himself had lost 7 family members in Palestine.

This narrative shift is all too familiar for Palestinians, as a highly politicized national and ethnic group. The personal— their ancestry, culture, history, and even the ongoing genocide of their people– is instead charged as “political” and “controversial”.

At the same time, the standard applied to Palestinians in the workplace is generally not equally applied to other groups who are affected by conflict in their homeland. The glaring difference in policy and enforcement across national and ethnic groups is plainly discriminatory.

The Centre stands by Amjad Ramadan. We will ensure that anti-Palestinian workplace discrimination does not go unchallenged in Canada.