By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
A recent report highlighting disturbing messages within a Quebec-based Discord server has prompted concerns over racism, sexism, and other discriminatory behavior among medical students. The allegations specifically implicate a student from the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS), raising questions about the institution’s response to such behavior.
The Discord server, known as MEDServeur, was originally created to assist CEGEP and university students preparing for medical school admissions in Quebec. While the platform was intended as a resource, several of its channels have become breeding grounds for offensive and harmful discourse. A user identified as “Paul Goyim,” who claims to be a medical student at UdeS, is notably mentioned in the report for his inflammatory posts that include anti-Semitic, anti-Black, and misogynistic rhetoric.
According to Henry Topas, the regional director for B’nai Brith Canada, the human rights organization received an anonymous tip about the server from a concerned individual. The informant, the mother of a medical school applicant, provided screenshots from the server that showed numerous posts containing hate speech and threats aimed at various groups. The screenshots were analyzed by B’nai Brith’s team, who later corroborated the identity of some of the individuals involved, including the UdeS student.
“We are deeply concerned by the nature of the conversations on this server,” Topas explained. “There was a clear pattern of racist and discriminatory comments, and the most alarming part is that the majority of users failed to intervene or challenge this behavior.”
The messages, some of which have since been deleted from the server, ranged from casual racism and sexism to more explicit hate speech. One of the troubling posts included threats against Jewish individuals, coded references to Jews, and an encouragement for users to falsify their identities to gain advantages in medical school applications. Other posts attacked Black, Asian, and LGBTQ+ individuals, creating a hostile environment for those within the medical student applicant pool.
The allegations have raised significant concerns about the safety and professionalism of the medical student community in Quebec, especially in light of the involvement of individuals who are already in medical school. “When individuals like ‘Paul Goyim’, a student from UdeS, are posting such messages, it raises serious concerns about patient safety and the ethical standards upheld within medical institutions,” said Topas.
In response, the Université de Sherbrooke condemned any form of hateful discourse. A statement from the university, provided through spokesperson Isabelle Huard, emphasized the institution’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. “The University of Sherbrooke strongly condemns any form of hate speech,” the statement reads. “Our policies on equity, diversity, and inclusion clearly state that hateful, discriminatory, or violent speech is unacceptable within our community, under any circumstances.”
However, despite the serious nature of the allegations, the university did not provide further details on any actions taken in response to the incident, and declined to grant an interview regarding the matter.
As of now, the affected medical schools in Quebec are under pressure to examine their admissions processes more closely. B’nai Brith has called for a review of students’ behaviors as part of their admissions criteria to ensure that individuals who hold discriminatory views are not permitted to join the medical profession.
The situation remains under scrutiny as the public continues to demand accountability from educational institutions and as discussions about the need for stronger measures against hate speech in academic settings intensify.