When the news first emerged that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to speak at Concordia, activists were faced with a choice. One was to sit back idly while a man responsible for the torture of thousands of people and the demolition of hundreds of homes, came to talk about "defence" against the people, land and resources that the State of Israel has been occupying and exploiting for 36 years. The second option was to send out a huge message of solidarity and support to three million human beings who live like caged-in prisoners in their own land.

First published in The Link - Sept 9, 2003

Context is everything

When the news first emerged that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to speak at Concordia, activists were faced with a choice. One was to sit back idly while a man responsible for the torture of thousands of people and the demolition of hundreds of homes, came to talk about "defence" against the people, land and resources that the State of Israel has been occupying and exploiting for 36 years. The second option was to send out a huge message of solidarity and support to three million human beings who live like caged-in prisoners in their own land.

The latter was chosen, not by "Muslim fascists," as history professor Stephen Sheinberg would have you believe, but by a diverse coalition of people who would have chosen to protest the presence of any war criminal, be it Pol Pot, Henry Kissinger, or George Bush. When a warrant for Netanyahu's arrest, in accordance with Canada's criminal code and international laws that Canada is a signatory to, was issued and ignored, students took it upon themselves to ensure than his crimes would not go unnoticed.

Just as the warrant for Netanyahu's arrest was ignored, so were the risk assessments made by Concordia's head of security. Rector Frederick Lowy and his cabinet made a hefty choice that day, sacrificing the safety of the students, faculty and staff for the sake of Netanyahu's "free" speech.

The speech was for an exclusive "bring your Israeli flags" audience, absent of any question period. It required the deployment of hundreds of riot police on campus, bomb-sniffing dogs and snipers. All but one exit to the Hall Building was locked, rendering the building a fire hazard—as was clearly shown later when students attempted to evacuate.

Community pressure

Lowy, who was quoted in the Canadian Jewish News to have "strong pro-Zionist leanings," allowed the event to take place under the sway of "community pressure." When he stood above the Israeli flag in H-110 ready to receive and welcome Netanyahu, after having gone to dangerous and expensive lengths to ensure his presence, the Rector clearly took sides in the conflict.

So yes, in this hostile environment that was reminiscent of a military zone, students and allies chose to protest. Video evidence shows a peaceful sit-in on the escalators that turned into an ugly mess when a battering ram of over 20 riot policemen gathered at the bottom of the escalators with a clear intent to push the protest out of the school. When students agreed that they, with their Concordia IDs in hand, had the right to be there, they pushed their way through to the bottom of the escalators with their hands up, and were met with the beating of batons and arrests. It was then that one window was broken and pepper spray was used to disperse the students.

The timeline of events was distorted by the media and intentionally suppressed by the administration, who, at risk of losing corporate donors, refused any responsibility for the event, blaming anyone present on the escalators for instigating the "mini-riot." But let's not kid ourselves — while police are present at demonstrations to escort them, riot police are trained to quash them. They are trained to intimidate and disperse crowds through the use of violence and pepper spray, and most would agree that they have no place whatsoever on a university campus. One year ago today, students were severely beaten in their own university, hundreds of people were put at risk by being trapped in a gassed building, and we have heard not a peep of accountability or apology.

There are aspects of Sept. 9 that are certainly regrettable. The racist extreme of Netanyahu's calibre attracted another racist extreme, and out of the thousands of people that were demonstrating that day against the policies of occupation and neo-colonialism, there were a handful of anti-Semites that were there only to spew their racist garbage.

One sacrifice in shutting down Netanyahu was that free speech was put on hold. Sitting down and physically barring Netanyahu's Bishop Street entrance was an action to protest a figurehead of the Israeli occupation, but it was undeniably also an action that countered freedom of speech. While putting such a fundamental principle of democracy on hold is unjustifiable, given the context in which it occurred, it is most certainly defendable and understandable.

"Freedom of speech" would have been a good argument for an administration if they had any sense of consistency. While they bent over backwards for Netanyahu, they deny the use of university space for the freedom of expression and assembly for its students. One short look into banning tabling in the lobby, getting the elected "anarchists" out of the student union and imposing ridiculous and futile moratoriums is plenty enough to demonstrate how sincere the administration is when they mutter incoherent slogans about 'freedom' and 'being Canadian' to the media.

At a time where the United Nations and the International Criminal Court have about as much weight as a fingernail, Netanyahu won't be put on trial for his crimes in the foreseeable future. Nor will he be arrested for hate speech when he comes back to Montreal this year. Laws do not apply to powerful men of imperialist countries, and it is understandable that students will take action when governments fails to do so.

Netanyahu's simple speech was not the only thing that led to the huge protest. This was also about the ongoing discrimination and double standards that Arab and Muslim students have felt since Sept. 11, 2001. This administration has done everything from demanding the names of all people who use the Muslim prayer space, acquired after eight years of praying in the hallways, to asking Arab associations to pay for their own security while footing the bill for Netanyahu. In Canada, two windows get broken and the nation goes berserk, virulent to condemn the "violence" and "intolerance" of the protesters. In occupied Palestine, universities get shut down, surrounded by tanks, Apache helicopters and gunfire, and few blink an eye.

If you think that concordia is 'too political', then so be it. But remember where you are. There are thousands of international students in a university that has a history of activism.

Love us or hate us, while the ongoing brutal occupation of palestine exists, so will Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights