McGill University

McGill calls on police to investigate antisemitic incidents

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By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

McGill University has called on the SPVM to investigate incidents of antisemitic graffiti and intimidation — graffiti was discovered on the Redpath Library building saying “Hail Satan LOL” and included a Nazi swastika.

When the encampment of anti-Israel protesters was dismantled in July, they vowed to return in one way or another. Some protesters recently tore up parts of the McGill campus lawns. The perpetrators fled and no arrests were made, The Suburban was told at the time.

In the current case, McGill has not specified what the incidents were.

In an email to the McGill community from Christopher Manfredi, McGill Provost and Executive Vice-President and Fabrice Labeau, Vice President Administration and Finance, they wrote, “in recent days, our campus has seen hate incidents, ranging from graffiti to intimidation of our campus community, acts which any reasonable person would consider antisemitic.

“Incidents were reported to the Montreal police and McGill’s security professionals are working with them to provide video or other evidence needed to identify suspects. Once the police’s investigation is completed, the attorney general will determine if charges will be laid. We will also immediately start disciplinary processes against any person identified as a member of the McGill community who was involved in these appalling events.”

They added, “as president Deep Saini has stated many times, antisemitism, like any form of hate, has no place on campus. We know that the McGill community unites behind us in unequivocally condemning these acts and in reaffirming our commitment to a campus free of discrimination, violence and hate.”

Eta Yudin, vice-president of the Centre For Israel and Jewish Affairs, Quebec, posted, “For too long, antisemitism has taken over our campuses and has plagued academic life. Together with our partners at Federation CJA, we have consistently and directly advocated for concrete action. We are encouraged that McGill appears to be taking the crisis seriously and expect further action to be taken, particularly as agitators continue to disrupt classes. The administration must remain vigilant and responsive.” n

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McGill-led team may have identified anorexia cure

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By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

McGill University announced that a McGill-led research team working with a French Sorbonne-led team (CNRS, INSERM and Sorbonne university) “believes it has identified the neurological mechanism underlying anorexia nervosa as well as a possible cure.”

The team’s findings, published in Nature Communications, “have the potential to improve the lives of millions of people around the world, mostly women, who suffer from the common eating disorder, which has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disease.

“Working with mice, researchers discovered that a deficit in a neurotransmitter in an area of the brain associated with the reward system, can lead to excessive habit formation and precipitate the compulsive self-starvation seen in people who suffer from anorexia nervosa.”

McGill Psychiatry professor Dr. Salah El Mestikawy, the senior author on the paper and researcher at the Douglas Research Centre, “looked at whether using a medication known to increase the presence of the neurotransmitter in the brain could have an effect on these compulsive self-destructive behaviours.”

“We found that it fully reversed the anorexia-like behaviour in mice, and we believe that it could potentially offer the first mechanism-based treatment of anorexia nervosa. In fact, we are already seeing its effects on some patients with the disease.”

As well, “ongoing independent studies in Toronto and Montreal led by an independent psychiatrist Dr. Leora Pinhas are showing positive results for 10 patients with severe anorexia nervosa who are being treated with low doses of the drug, donepezil. Three patients are in full remission and the other seven show a marked improvement. Further double-blind clinical trials, comparing results of those taking a placebo with those taking the medication, are due to take place this year at Columbia University, Denver University, and the Hôpital Sainte-Anne in Paris.

Mestikawy says, however, that “between clinical trials and government approval, it may take several years before a new drug can be used to treat anorexic patients, and there may be possible effects on other diseases involving compulsive behaviours. The McGill researchers are working with the French team to develop a novel compound with fewer problems. “We also suspect that other compulsive pathologies such as obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) and addictions can also be improved by donepezil, so we are actively looking for collaboration with other psychiatrist around the world to explore the possibilities.”

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Community rallies at McGill against anti-Israel hate

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Large numbers of Montrealers turned up last Thursday, May 2 at the Roddick Gates of McGill University to rally against anti-Israel hate emanating from the encampment inside the campus that was established on April 27. The crowd was so large Sherbrooke St. was closed for three hours. While the pro-Israel crowd chanted “Bring them home” about the hostages still held by Hamas since its terrorist attack on Israel Oct. 7, and “Am Yisrael Chai,” the anti-Israel demonstrators chanted slogans such as “all Zionists are racists.” Some 50 of the latter group formed a chain and faced off against the SPVM, some of whom were on horseback.

The pro-Israel rally was organized by the student group StartUp Nation, Chabad at McGill and Chabad at Concordia, Bring Them Home Now Montreal and many other organizations. On hand were Yair Szlak and Steven Sebag of Federation CJA, former CSL councillor Glenn Nashen and many others, including Cantors Adam Stotland, Gideon Zelermyer and Daniel Benlolo, who sang together.

Anastasia Zorchinsky, founder and president of the StartUp Nation group, said “we’re here to stand for peace, we’re here to stand for unity! We’re also here to call out the vile hate that has been infesting our universities!….We’re experiencing the worst cases of antisemitism our generation has ever seen because of universities like McGill and Concordia, which are not enforcing their policies when Jewish students are targeted!”

Just before the rally began, Premier Legault called on the SPVM to dismantle the “illegal” encampment.

Michael Eshayek, also of StartUp Nation, called on universities to “stand up against Jewish hatred and to be on the right side of history! Today, it’s the Jewish community, tomorrow it will be someone else!”

McGill law student Jamie Fabian said when the anti-Israel mobs call for intifada, “we don’t call for violence. We use the law, and as law students, as Jews, we stay peaceful. We use the law to defend what’s right, and what’s right is not antisemitism!”

McGill graduate Sydney Rouah, who was in Israel Oct. 7, said Jewish life is “bigger and stronger, and certainly more important, than ever! I woke up Oct. 7 thinking it was a regular Saturday morning, I soon realized how wrong I was. I saw many sights that still shocked me. I see people younger than me changing into uniform, running in to war to save their people with no regard what could happen to them.”

McGill alumni Dr. Samantha Balass said the university “has become the breeding ground for antisemitism and what is McGill’s response? Underwhelming! They shuffle their feet and dodge responsibility, leading to the rampant antisemitism festering within their walls! McGill, we demand better and we will settle for nothing less!”

Szlak, president and CEO of Federation CJA, said, “we are here in support of students who celebrate and sanctify life, and we stand in stark contrast to the pro-Hamas campers who celebrate the deaths of Jews and Israelis and are calling for a global Intifada.”

Rabbi Reuben Poupko, who thanked Premier François Legault for his support of Israel and calling for the dismantling of the encampment, said the anti-Israel activists “think they’re reliving the 1960s, singing John Lennon’s Give Peace A Chance.

“Peace rallies don’t have slogans like ‘long live Oct. 7’, “long live Hamas’, ‘glory to our martyrs’, ‘globalize the Intifada’! Those aren’t peace slogans! Those are battle cries! We know how this movie ends — with the Jewish people strong and secure! I wish everyone here the strength, the resilience, the courage and the wisdom to keep up the fight and to make sure your voices are heard every day!” n

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Concordia and McGill to sue Quebec over tuition hikes

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Photo Alice Martin

Maria Cholakova
Local Journalism Initiative

On Feb. 23, Concordia President Graham Carr announced that the university is set to take legal action against the province after months of discussions with the government.

According to Carr’s statement, the decision to pursue legal action comes after months of unsuccessful talks with the government and Coalition Avenir Québec’s (CAQ) rejection of Concordia’s French language program proposal. 

The CAQ has reduced the increase for out-of-province students from $17,000 to $12,000. However, despite the change, Carr wrote that the provincial government “never worked with us in any substantive way to hear, let alone address, our wide-ranging concerns.”

Concordia is already feeling the effects of the hikes, with the university seeing a 27 per cent decrease in out-of-province student applications. In addition, the university is already in financial trouble, with a current deficit of $35 million, on top of the $362 million of total debt. 

Due to these challenges, Concordia is ready to take legal action, stating that they “have no choice but to pursue a just outcome.”

Concordia’s main reasons for the action are its financial troubles, the belief that “diversity is a critical driver of excellence,” the need for accessible education for all, and the importance of “equality among francophone and anglophone linguistic groups and the protection of Quebec’s minority English-language community.”

Concordia isn’t the only English university taking legal action. McGill has also pursued a similar lawsuit, although completely separate from Concordia’s. 

Apart from the Concordia administration’s efforts to put an end to the tuition hikes, student groups around campus have continued their mobilization efforts. Twelve student associations went on strike from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, and many are set to strike again from March 11 to March 15. 

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