Flyers advocating for an all-white student union surfaced on Toronto university campuses this past week.
Students for Western Civilization, a group advocating for an all-white student union, hit Excalibur for not publishing their article on cultural and ethnic policies at York.
Since then, the white supremacist group has been postering flyers around campus.
Arden Maalik, York University Black Students Alliance, says there isn’t much to say in regards to the group, or their beliefs.
“While I agree that liberal thought is tainted by essentialism and should be less romantic of the systems it analyzes, I think the conservative agenda which Students for Western Civilization espouses is severely anti-intellectual and ignorant of historical events, and the neoliberal policies it endorses, which have hurt efforts to promote diversity.”
SWC’s goals, promoted on their page is to “genuinely explore ethnic and cultural politics in a forum which does not exclude rightist or conservative perspectives, to organize for and advance the interests of Western peoples, and to promote and celebrate Western civilization.”
The group has made numerous allegations regarding York professors, which cannot be verified.
[su_quote]“Throughout our time at York University, when it comes to cultural and ethnic politics, we have been exposed to nothing other than leftist perspectives.” “One would hope that, as students who have spent years studying the politics of ethnicity and culture, we would be very well informed about the different angles from which to approach these questions, but this is certainly not the case. This is not the case because, at York University, you don’t get an education, you get an indoctrination.”[/su_quote]
The author, known only as Tentanda Via, meaning “the road must be tried,” says the doctrine in which York liberal arts students are programmed is called neo-Marxism or cultural Marxism, which, they argue, identifies white people as “oppressors” and others as “the oppressed.”
“Students are taught that all of Western Civilization is inherently ‘racist’ and that Western countries are plagued by a ‘systemic and institutionalized’ racism which reinforces a system of white supremacy.”
Jessa McLean, Amnesty International at York, says, for centuries, people have been using the purposely misleading and degrading term “Western civilization” to express the ridiculous idea that Europe and it’s predominately “white” inhabitants are superior to all others.
“Cultural appropriation has further reinforced the idea that ‘white’ Europe was responsible for all great human achievements,” she adds.
[su_quote]“It is ridiculous to me that, under the guise of scholastic improvements, this group would use such an offensive, oppressive, and inaccurate term to describe their crusade.”[/su_quote]
How this group put “white privilege” in quotation marks sums up their ignorance, adds McLean.
“It is my hope this group is small, and the space you afford them in the Excalibur reflects that. I am horrified at the notion they are speaking for any phenotype.”
Joanne Rider, media relations, sayseight posters were removed from campus and that this group is not a ratified club, and its members remain unknown.
“This is all the information we have at present,” says Rider.
“This is not a sanctioned student group or club at York University, and its members are unknown to us.”
York is committed to diversity and inclusiveness on our campuses, she adds.
Ryan Moore, News Editor
Featured image courtesy of Metro News
