Tensions on the Concordia University campus over the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip are spilling over into the legal arena.
A formal notice was sent last week to President and Vice-Chancellor Graham Carr on behalf of a student, who claims he was exposed to “assault, intimidation, threats of violence and anti-Semitism” .
We can read there that Concordia University has failed in its legal and moral responsibilities, in particular by not adequately investigating “incidents of anti-Semitism and acts targeting Jewish students on the Concordia campus” that have occurred since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas last October. It is also alleged that the institution did not take “appropriate measures to sanction students and student groups who support anti-Semitic movements.”
The formal notice also targets the Concordia Student Union (CSU), the local branch of the association Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR-Concordia) as well as a student involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations which allegedly threatened the applicant.
“The situation on campus currently is not acceptable,” said Neil Oberman of Spiegel Sohmer, who sent the formal notice on behalf of his client, in an interview. The latter chose to remain anonymous to avoid any reprisals.
“There is a climate of tension and aggression on the Concordia campus. However, it should be a place to learn and live together in serenity and respect, which is not the case at the moment according to my client’s allegations,” explained the lawyer, referring in particular to the events of Last November 8.
That day, the campus of the English-speaking university was the scene of clashes between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel activists. A student was arrested for assaulting a security guard and at least three others were injured in the incident.
The formal notice requests in particular the dissolution of SPHR – Concordia and the suspension of funding granted to the CSU “until hatred is eradicated”.
The CSU is criticized, among other things, for not having “denounced and rejected anti-Semitic movements at Concordia” and for having shown its support for the SPHR via publications on social networks.
“The student association has obligations towards all students, not just a small part of them,” argued Me Oberman. The law requires that money granted to finance student associations not be used to the detriment of the physical or psychological well-being of students. »
Tense climate
This is not the first legal initiative linked to alleged anti-Semitism on the Concordia University campus.
On November 17, two Concordia students and a professor filed a collective action request in Superior Court, asserting in particular that the educational institution had allowed a climate of anti-Semitism to proliferate within its walls “for decades.”
They want to seek $15 million in damages for Jewish students, faculty and staff currently at Concordia, and those who attended or worked there in the past three years.
Contacted by The dutyConcordia University indicated that it would not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.