Concordia University gives the okay to students who want to protest in Quebec City while threatening local activists with possible expulsion for protesting CSIS and Army recruitment on campus.

In an ironic move, the first university to allow exam deferrals for FTAA-protestors has now clamped-down on student activism on campus. "The message Concordia is sending to students is go protest in Quebec City but don’t do it here," says Helen Hudson of Concordia’s Quebec Public Interest Research Group.

The Concordia student body has been an important organizing ground for the anti-FTAA protest movement. It has also been the target of CSIS and Canadian Military recruitment activities. The two have proven to be a volatile mixture.

On February 1st a large crowd of students forced CSIS recruiters off campus. Canadian Military recruiters met with the same fate on February 5th. Both actions used non-violent civil disobedience tactics. Samer Elaterash, one of the anti-army protesters comments, "I think forcing the military out of Concordia was the most humanitarian action possible. It was an act of liberation."

Concordia’s corporate-dominated Board of Governors (BOG) has a different point of view. Jonathan Wener, CEO of Candrel was adamant at the February 21st BOG meeting. He told Concordia’s Rector in no uncertain terms that "swift firm disciplinary action must be taken [against protestors]."

A week later the University administration started a process through which it hopes to achieve just that. On March 1st the University Rights and Responsibilities Office singled out two of the protestors, Concordia Student Union VP External Christina Xydous and VP Communications Tom Keefer. A disciplinary Hearing Board has been convened to try the student leaders for violating the University’s Code of Rights and Responsibilities.

How did Xydous and Keefer become the scapegoats for these collective actions? "The student union has taken the university to task for everything from excessive fees to attacking free speech," says Xydous. "As executives of the union, we are the targets of these thinly veiled McCarthyist tactics."

Penalties could range from reprimands to fines to expulsion. The Hearing Board met for the first time on April 5th. No arguments about the case were heard. Nearly all of the three-hour session consisted of procedural motions from the accused challenging the legitimacy of the hearing. None of the motions were successful.

Hearing dates are scheduled for May 4th (4:00 pm) and May 14th (5:00pm).

You can support students’ right to protest against the Army and CSIS. Send an email supporting the charged student protestors to c...@csu.tao.ca or call 514-848-7394 to express your support for the protestors. To register your dismay that the university is proceeding with this kangaroo court, email and call the following university administrators:

Frederick Lowy, Rector and Vice-Chancellor:
low...@vax2.concordia.ca 514-848-4849

Michael Di Grappa, Vice-Rector Services:
m...@vax2.concordia.ca 514-848-4815

Don Boisvert, Dean of Students:
d...@alcor.concordia.ca 514-848-3520

Bram Freedman, General Legal Counsel:
b...@alcor.concordia.ca 514-848-4797

(please cc: the CSU at c...@csu.tao.ca
on all your emails!)