Anti-Israel protests send tremors through Vari Hall

Tyler McKay | Assistant News Editor

Featured Image: Palestinian protesters in Vari Hall chant to the Israel supporters above. | Courtesy of Tyler McKay/Excalibur

On November 20, protests erupted in Vari Hall when Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) protested the panel discussion with Israeli reservists.  Students filled the hallways and stairwells reciting various pro-Palestine chants. Pro-Israel counter-protesters were also present in what became quite a tense stand-off. Tempers flared as the Toronto Police Service (TPS) stepped in to create barriers between protesters and maintain as much peace as possible.

The protests were an attempt to disrupt the Israel reserve soldiers from Reservists on Duty, who came to campus to deliver a talk. The Reservists on Duty are “a non-profit organization established in 2015 by IDF veterans who felt a duty to expose and counter the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement and new forms of anti-Semitism,” according to their website

The reservists spoke on their military experiences and held a Q&A for the attending students. Yet the protesters could be heard loud and clear banging on the walls and yelling outside of the lecture hall.

“Military personnel, even when only reservists, are fundamentally opposed to what we stand for as an organization committed to non-violence and one that’s against war. The fact that these people were given permission by our administration to come to our campus threatens the safety and well-being of Palestinians that attend York,” reads a statement from SAIA.

The protest was loud with intense shouting back and forth with one protester being removed from the area.

A few instances of physical confrontation were recorded by bystanders and reported by the media. A man was also reportedly struck in the head and was seen laying on the ground as police cleared the area.  No charges were reported.

“This is the only medium where you can come and you can protest and you can act with each other in solidarity because other than that, there is no awareness that is created for Palestine,” says an anonymous graduated student from Business and Society.

 SAIA hopes that this protest will “spread awareness to the Palestinian struggle and further our aim of getting York to adopt BDS on our campuses.”

Yet, controversy and allegations of anti-Semitism arose when protesters began to chant, “Viva viva Intifada!” The Intifadas are associated with violent Palestinian uprising against Israel.  This chant elevated the concern for the security of students on campus.

“Calls promoting violence towards Jews, such as yelling ‘intifada,’ is anti-Semitic and shows that this protest was anything but peaceful. There are many ways to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians that do not include calls for violent uprisings,” says director of Hillel York Anna Kissin.

On the allegations of anti-Semitism, SAIA says: “We denounce all forms of oppression including anti-Semitism, racism, Islamophobia, ableism, classism, homophobia etc. We did not organize this protest to be anti-Semitic in any way, we wish only to highlight the human rights abuses of the State of Israel and hold them accountable for their actions.”

“We understand the call for an Intifada to be a continued resistance to the Israeli occupation of Palestine at a grassroots level,” continues the statement.

President Rhonda Lenton also released a statement Thursday to condemn the violence that occurred and noted that external groups were also on campus.

 I want to emphasize in the strongest possible terms that acts of violence are not tolerated on our campuses and York University has zero tolerance for hate. There is simply no place for it in our community,” Lenton said.

Several politicians also expressed their disapproval. Premier Doug Ford echoed Lenton’s sentiments: “I have been clear that there is no place in Ontario for racism and hatred.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter and said: “What happened that night was shocking and absolutely unacceptable. Anti-Semitism has no place in Canada. We will always denounce it & all forms of hatred.”

However, SAIA also denounces the violence, stating: “We, as SAIA, believe in the spirit of peaceful protest and are appalled at the violence shown at the rally.”

“We at Hillel York put the safety of all students as our top priority. We were on the ground providing assistance to students during the protest. We are continuing to work with our university partners to ensure a safe and inclusive space for all students on campus, no matter their affiliation,” Kissin says.

As the protest died down, and people started to filter out, a celebration of sorts began outside. Music was playing as people danced around.

The Reservists on Duty event was able to conclude and attendants were escorted out of the building by York security and TPS.

President Lenton pledged to review the events “very carefully to determine what specific follow-up actions are required.”

“The events that occurred on the evening of November 20 were and remain of great concern not only to the University but also to the larger community around us,” said a letter to the York community released on November 29.

York’s letter along with an outline of the ongoing investigation can be found here: https://vp.students.yorku.ca/an-update-york-community-about-november-event

Additionally, on December 3, letters to both Herut Zionism and SAIA were sent informing them that their privileges as student groups had been withdrawn.

These withdrawn privileges include reserving space, tabling, and postering by either group.

This was done to “avoid increasing tensions” that may arise from “the holding of certain events,” according to York’s acting chief spokesperson Yanni Dagonas.

In a subsequent letter to both parties on December 5, Herut Zionism and SAIA were invited to participate in facilitated mediation to “establish mutually agreed upon processes and behaviours for future events.”

“We are confident that if a mutually agreed upon mediated agreement can be reached, we will be able to restore the withdrawn privileges,” said the letter.

York expects to meet with the groups early in the new year.