York University in Ontario is threatening to withdraw recognition from three major student unions after they made a public statement calling Hamas’ attacks on Israel “justified and necessary.”
The university said in a statement Friday that it had tried repeatedly to engage with the unions to raise concerns about the statement, which the university said had caused “concerns, outrage and fear” on its Toronto campus.
The original Oct. 12 statement issued by the York Federation of Students — and co-signed by York University Graduate Student’s Association and Glendon College Student Union — appeared to refer to an attack by Hamas on Israel as justified.
“Recently, in a strong act of resistance, the Palestinian people tore down and crossed the illegitimate border fence erected by the settler-colonial apartheid state of so-called Israel,” part of the statement read.
On Oct. 7, Hamas launched an attack on Israel during which at least 1,000 people were killed and more than 100 Israelis were taken hostage. Israel declared war on Hamas and its operation in the Gaza Strip, and thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air strikes since.
The student union’s statement drew rapid criticism and led to calls for York University to remove its recognition of the groups.
On Friday, Oct. 20, York University issued an update, suggesting it was beginning a process that could lead to it withdrawing its recognition of the union. The process began with a letter informing the unions the university believes they have breached their responsibilities.
The university said it was demanding the unions retract the statements, issue new statements confirming their opposition to antisemitism, and acknowledge the harm their original posts caused. The university also said the student union executives would have to resign.
As of Saturday, the statement was still available online.
Alternatively, York University said the unions would have to prove they didn’t breach any regulations when they shared the post.
The unions have been given until Oct. 25 to either take the steps demanded by the university or declare they’ve not broken any rules. That declaration would then trigger a process to establish if that is true. If that process were to find the unions had breached the rules, the university could then withdraw its recognition.
“The University is deeply disappointed that this step is now required, but we are compelled to uphold University policies and to act in the best interests of the York community, including those of the student unions and their memberships,” York University said in its statement.
Global News reached out to the York Federation of Students for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
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