By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban
Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry sent a letter to the heads of universities Aug. 30 calling them to a meeting Sept. 16 to explain their policies and warn them not to tolerate hate and violence on their campuses, especially as the Oct. 7 anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel approaches.
Concordia University is the subject of a lawsuit alleging it tolerated antisemitic behaviour on its campus for months and even years, while an anti-Israel encampment was allowed to remain on the McGill campus for 10 weeks, accompanied by antisemitic chants and graffiti glorifying terrorism.
Déry posted on social media last week that “no one is indifferent to the tragic conflict in the Middle East. However, we cannot tolerate tensions being brought to our campuses through vandalism, intimidation and incitement to hatred.”
She also posted the letter, which says to the university heads that this past summer, “we asked you to share with us the means you have at your disposal to counter bullying, harassment, racism, violence, hatred or any other problem, with the aim of fostering a healthy and safe climate on campuses, and avoiding the excesses that we have witnessed in recent months.
“In light of what we have gathered, you do indeed have various levers at your disposal, such as various institutional policies and, in certain cases, the presence of an interdisciplinary crisis management intervention team. the letter adds. “However, on the eve of the start of the school year and in light of the armed conflict that is still raging in the Middle East, I am very concerned about the climate of tension that reigns on certain campuses. I ask you to be even more vigilant and above all proactive, by better communicating your internal policies and regulations to your entire community and ensuring that they are enforced, where appropriate.”
Dery added that as she has said publicly several times, “our establishments must remain places of exchange, debate and discussion, in a constructive and respectful environment. We will not tolerate any form of hate speech, intimidation, violence and incitement to hatred.
“To this end, I invite you to a follow-up meeting on Sept. 16 to continue discussions to this effect and explore avenues to support your actions. In the meantime, I ask you to send me your crisis management policy or emergency measures plan in the context of cultural tensions and international conflicts, to avoid any overflow on campuses, particularly in anticipation of October 7.” n