UofT’s pro-Palestinian encampment came to a peaceful conclusion last week after the Ontario Superior Court’s July 2nd decision to grant the university an injunction. I say good riddance. The more than two-month long encampment has done nothing but divide the university and bring hate and antisemitic vile to campus. UofT must now work towards unifying its student body and faculty as well as take steps to signal that Jewish students can feel safe at the University of Toronto.
OccupyUofT, the organization behind the encampment, had three main demands: that UofT disclose the investments that it holds in the occupied Palestinian territories, divest from them, and they called on UofT to end partnerships with Israeli universities situated in the West Bank.
While the demands of the encampment may seem reasonable, and even necessary, especially, if like me, you are appalled at the level of violence and destruction wrought on the people of Gaza, a deeper look into the OccupyUofT movement reveals Hamas sympathies and their actions emboldened antisemites.
About a week after the encampment began, I argued that the issue of the encampment was not the demands of the organizers, OccupyUofT, but rather it was the radical antisemitic undertones present at the site. I predicted that like the Ottawa convoy protest in 2022, the encampment would only attract more of these hateful individuals and groups.
At the time, there had already been much antisemitic messaging. This Included chalk scrawled on the sidewalk surrounding the encampment which called for Jews in Israel to “go back to Europe.” Furthermore, the “occupyuoft” Instagram page repeatedly referred to Hamas, a group recognized by the Canadian government as a terrorist group, as “the resistance.”
Over the course of the last couple of months, these antisemitic incidents only increased. A video appeared on social media in which a protestor says to a group of counter-protesters: “Jewish people go.” In another video, a man is seen yelling “heil Hitler” and doing a Nazi salute, before adding, “I wish he had murdered all you guys bro.” There are countless other examples of hateful acts too.
In his ruling, Justice Markus Koehnen said that there is no evidence that encampment members participated in antisemitic acts, however, he did not dispute that antisemitic acts occurred. Indeed, we do not know for sure if these individuals are members of the encampment itself or are bystanders showing up in support of the protest, however, its very nature as an encampment meant that it would only continue to attract more radicals such as those mentioned above.
OccupyUofT’s claim that UofT students and faculty are united behind their movement are far from true. Encampment organizers have used the support of UofT’s Jewish Faculty Network as a veil to claim that UofT’s Jewish community members are behind them, even though numerous Jewish organizations and faculty, including Hillel UofT and professors such as Kenneth Green, have spoken out against the encampment.
Furthermore, the droves of student led counter-protests and online forums show that UofT students and faculty are split on the issue- this movement had no right to occupy a piece of campus in the name of such a divisive issue and it has only served to further divide the UofT community.
Now that the protest has come to a conclusion, it is time for the university’s administration to take steps to unite a divided community, and send signals to UofT’s Jewish population that campus is safe for them. First and foremost, UofT, in conjunction with local law enforcement, must launch an investigation to determine if any students were responsible for the hate and antisemitism displayed over the past two months and take appropriate action.
However, as Justice Koehnen suggested, since the protestors left willingly, unless it is proven that members of the encampment engaged in blatant acts of antisemitism, UofT mustn’t take disciplinary action.
I am glad that the court sided with reason and that the encampment ended peacefully. UofT has every right to consider the feasibility of divestment. However, it must consult all concerned groups, including Jewish students and faculty. Furthermore, it should seek advice from divestment experts outside of the OccupyUofT organization. OccupyUofT cannot be led to believe that their tactics worked, lest the university risks emboldening other groups to take similar actions.