York lowered its flags to half-mast on Monday to coincide with the Government of Canada, which has lowered the Canadian flag at the Peace Tower in Ottawa.
Various campus groups are offering their perspectives on the terror attacks, which have sparked international debate regarding a number of heated topics.
The Campus Conservatives York University released a statement to Excalibur.
“We are appalled by this terrible atrocity and our thoughts are with the victims and their families,” says Brandon Viera, vice-president, CCYU.
“In order to prevent future tragedies we strongly believe that Canada must continue its joint combat mission against ISIS. While Canada can contribute more humanitarian aid, our combat mission should continue in order to defeat this appalling group of terrorists.”
Other students have been pointing out an alleged hypocrisy in mainstream media coverage.
David J. Kim, third-year psychology student, thinks any compassion is a wonderful thing. However, he says,
it takes genuine concern and investment in being mindful of events which we are so far removed from.
“It’s not an easy thing to be aware of all the tragic incidents going on in the world, however we can try our best to be mindful and view everyone as citizens of the world,” adds Kim.
World University Students of Canada at Yorkalso released a statement to Excalibur.
“I think it’s important not to compare one crisis to another,” says Heather Dirckze, WUSC, whose organization focuses on refugee crises.
“Lately many people seem to have forgotten about refugees in Africa and Asia after the pressing issues in Syria,” she says. “But there are still millions of refugees living in those continents. You have to look at things from a global viewpoint and respect each crisis as its own. What happened in Paris is a calamity and deserves attention, as long as Beirut and Kenya receive the correct attention too.”
Ajay Sharma, UNICEF at York, says the Paris attacks have become a global outrage because it is an uncommon event in the Western world.
“The only reason Syria, Lebanon, or Kenya have not received as much media attention is because of the day-to-day events taking place. It does not give the same ‘shock’ feeling the way one event in the Western world would.”
Students Against Israeli Apartheid released comments to Excalibur, stating that they stand with the people of Paris, Beirut, Gaza, Kobane, Tamil Eelam and elsewhere that are affected by war, and reiterates their call for York’s Board of Governors to divest from arms manufacturers.
Amnesty International at York takes the stand that focusing on religion as the main source of this conflict is what maintains Islamophobia and creates further incitement toward the Muslim community.
“The current issue at hand is much too complicated to be simply narrowed down to just religion,” says Ragda Habbal, vice president, AIY.
“As a human rights organization, our main concerns at the moment are centralized around all of the innocent lives being taken.”
AIY is also concerned about the troubling discourse now surrounding the resettlement of refugees, and is
hosting Voices of Refugees this Thursday at 5 p.m. in McLaughlin Junior Common Room.
Their goal is to provide a space for five student refugees at York to share their experiences, hopes, and ideas with the rest of the community.
Ryan Moore, News Editor
With files from Tatiana Prisiajniy, Features Editor and Alex Kvaskov, Assistant News Editor
