Canadian universities have started to deny pro-Israel organizations campus space to discriminate in favor of pro-Palestine groups.
The University of Ontario Institute of Technology held a student fair and weeklong celebration of social justice, and the Student Association at the university has endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. As a result, Hasbara Fellowships, which runs “Israel Peace Week,” was denied space at the fair. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), however, was allowed to give a five-hour presentation.
“It seemed like a no-brainer” to have a spot at the fair, Robert Walker, Canadian director of Hasbara Fellowships, told The Algemeiner. His request for space was denied in an email he received earlier this month, with the Student Association’s endorsement of the BDS movement and Walker’s support for Israel as the reason for denial.
Walker examined the resolution and could not find anything suggesting pro-Israel groups had to be excluded from campus events.
“Never have I seen such explicit discrimination [against us] before,” he said. He told the National Post he had “never seen a university in Canada where pro-Israel student leaders are denied a voice because of their affiliation.”
A full statement from Walker also mentions how “out of step” BDS is with Canadians:
While Walker may be shocked by such treatment, that the Student Association would endorse the BDS movement is a strong predictor of anti-Semitism, according to a study released Monday by the AMCHA Initiative.
The study also backs up claims made in a letter from the Zionist Organization of America, which focuses on behavior from SJP groups at CUNY. While pro-Palestine groups claim a bill to be considered by the New York City Council will target them, there is reason to fear that SJP activism encourages anti-Semitism.
