by Oui
Thu Mar 5th, 2020 at 09:39:54 AM EST
York Federation of Students passes motion to oppose Israeli officials | CJN - Nov. 29, 2019 |
Following on the heels of a violent protest against IDF reservists speaking at York University in Toronto, the York Federation of Students (YFS) passed a motion stating that it will actively work to oppose "representatives of the Israeli state" who appear on campus.
According to the motion, which was passed at its annual general meeting on Nov. 28, YFS will oppose "representatives of the Israeli state or any other imperialist power (that are) invited (to campus) to gather support for war and occupation in Palestine and elsewhere (by organizing) mass mobilizations of students, workers, marginalized communities in opposition."
The YFS passed the motion just over a week after pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters clashed outside of an event on Nov. 20 that brought IDF reservists to York to answer questions about Israel.
More below the fold ...
The YFS motion described the protests by saying that "both Jewish and non-Jewish students were protesting the actions of the Israeli state; members of the Jewish Defence League (JDL), a far-right organization, were present resulting in the assault of a number of students who were peacefully demonstrating."
Rhonda Lenton, the president of York University, tweeted a statement about the motion on Nov. 29, saying the school is "deeply concerned" because the motion "reflects neither the views of the administration nor our community's standards." Lenton further states the the school had reached out to YFS to discuss how to move forward, and that the university will take "all necessary steps" to ensure a safe environment for approved students groups to host events and speakers.
Hillel at York also published a statement on the same day that condemned YFS for discriminating against Israel and failing to properly represent both the facts and its students.
"As the body charged with representing all undergraduate students, the YFS has failed, yet again, to accurately characterize the facts. There was nothing peaceful about last week's demonstration, which was organized to shut-down free speech and intimidate Jewish students. Hillel York condemns the YFS for taking yet another step against free speech and against the Jewish campus community."
Student union in Toronto votes to oppose Israeli officials | Arutz Sheva - Dec. 1, 2019 |
The York Federation of Students (YFS), the undergraduate students' union at York University in Toronto, passed a motion stating that it will actively work to oppose "representatives of the Israeli state" who appear on campus, the Canadian Jewish News reports.
The vote on the motion followed the recent violent protest against IDF reservists who spoke at York University, in which anti-Israel protesters were documented chanting "Viva, Viva Intifada" and "Free, Free Palestine."
According to the motion, which was passed at its annual general meeting on November 28, YFS will oppose "representatives of the Israeli state or any other imperialist power (that are) invited (to campus) to gather support for war and occupation in Palestine and elsewhere (by organizing) mass mobilizations of students, workers, marginalized communities in opposition."
The YFS passed the motion just over a week after the November 20 incident, in which pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters clashed outside of the event that brought IDF reservists to campus to answer questions about Israel.
The YFS motion described the protests by saying that "both Jewish and non-Jewish students were protesting the actions of the Israeli state; members of the Jewish Defense League (JDL), a far-right organization, were present resulting in the assault of a number of students who were peacefully demonstrating."
[Some links added in articles are mine - Oui]
Antisemitism on Canadian campuses | JPost - Dec. 10, 2019 |
In the past several weeks, my news feed has been bombarded with messages with which I'm all too familiar. Once again, antisemitism is rearing its ugly head across Canadian campuses.
McGill University campus in Montreal (photo credit: Reuters)
Unfortunately, this isn't new. Antisemitism (disguised as anti-Zionism) has been a problem for a long time now, and we are finally seeing the end-product of bigoted anti-Israel groups being permitted to foment their hatred on campus. When "Israel Apartheid Week" began at the University of Toronto, nobody expected that it would spread to 55 cities around the world.
When I received the video footage of the vicious protest at York University during the Reservists on Duty event, I was upset, but I wasn't surprised. I know those anti-Israel students. I went to school with them, and I too was once barricaded at pro-Israel events. Shortly after, the York Federation of Students (YFS) passed a motion to ban Israelis from speaking on campus. I'm not surprised - both the YFS and Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) are responsible for most of the antisemitic activity at York.
U.S. State Dept - Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO)
On Oct. 8, 1997 - Hizbollah
On Oct. 8, 1997 - Kahane Chai (Kach)
More about Meir Weistein ...
○ BDS activist attacks Canadian Jewish Defense League chief | Times of Israel - Sept. 19, 2016 |
○ Head of militant Jewish group plans to 'confront' black leaders in NYC | NY Post - Jan. 11, 2020 |
Related reading about JDL Canada ...
○ Shin Bet Arrests Kahane's Grandson Claiming He's 'Terror Mastermind' | Tikun Olam - Aug. 2015 |
○ The Root of Israel's Military Response in 'Search for Peace' - JDL
○ Israeli Ambassador Stepping Over Warm Body Barack Obama
