The Concordia Student Union’s (CSU) “emergency” General Assembly on January 29th was never going to be a fair process. Organizers expected 700 registered students but were overwhelmed by nearly 1,000 attendees. The Q&A session and structured debate were scrapped, and the motion rushed to a vote. Jewish students and opponents of the motion knew their voices would not be heard. The result? An 885 to 58 loss.
Reports describe a packed room where many wore masks distributed by CSU staff. Fliers before the event instructed activists to conceal their identities, facilitating anonymous intimidation. A weak verification process raised concerns that non-Concordia students participated. The Concordia chapter of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) coordinated with SPHR McGill, further fueling suspicions of outside interference.
This was not a democratic referendum but an outcome engineered by external activists. Video evidence captured students openly praising Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader responsible for the October 7th massacre of Israeli civilians. A moment that should have prompted immediate condemnation from Concordia’s leadership was instead met with silence. The message? Extremism could thrive unchecked.
The BDS demands were sweeping. CSU mandated full divestment from financial investments associated with “militarized violence, war, colonialism, apartheid, and genocide.” This vague language ensures anything remotely tied to Israel is blacklisted overnight, affecting companies, researchers, and individuals.
Engineering students could lose internships at top tech firms. Professors on the verge of AI breakthroughs might see their research funding pulled. Entire fields—cybersecurity, aerospace, and international relations—face severe cuts. The Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies and the Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies, which provide essential research and funding, are directly threatened. This policy could strip students and faculty of hundreds of thousands of dollars in resources.
BDS also demanded an end to employment partnerships with Bombardier, Lockheed Martin, CAE, Pratt & Whitney, and Airbus—some of Quebec’s largest aerospace and engineering employers. Concordia’s engineering and business programs rely on co-op placements, internships, and job pipelines with these firms. If this motion is enforced, students will lose career opportunities, business students will see recruiters vanish, and faculty will struggle to secure grants.
These are not abstract concerns. They are real consequences for students with no connection to the conflict, now forced to sacrifice their futures for a morally bankrupt political agenda.
Another demand: sever all ties with Israeli universities and permanently ban future partnerships.
What does this mean? Medical students collaborating on cancer treatments with Israeli researchers will see doors slammed shut. Environmental science students researching water conservation will lose access to world leaders in desalination technology.
Higher education should be about intellectual exchange and global collaboration. Instead, BDS activists have declared war on their own peers and professors, imposing ideological purity tests that restrict academic freedom.
The most alarming demand? Amnesty for extremist activists charged with violating the university’s rules during “solidarity actions.”
These were not minor infractions. Activists blocked school buildings, disrupted operations, and harassed Jewish students. A Quebec judge described their actions as creating a “valid, immediate, and imminent fear for physical security.” This is the same network that held a rally in November where attendees were filmed giving Nazi salutes and chanting violent threats.
The CSU’s demand that these individuals face no consequences is a clear admission that their movement relies on intimidation and fear.
With the BDS motion heading to a February 6th board of governors vote, Jewish students wonder: Will the administration stand for student safety and academic integrity, or cave to intimidation?
The January 29th event violated Concordia’s Code of Rights and Responsibilities, which bans discrimination and harassment. It may also breach Canadian anti-discrimination laws, including the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Even Parliament formally condemned BDS in 2016, recognizing its discriminatory nature and potential to incite hatred.
Concordia’s leadership must investigate procedural failures at the CSU meeting, hold violators accountable, protect at-risk departments, and reaffirm its commitment to academic freedom.
While the Jewish community likely sighed with relief when the school decided to prohibit the CSU from booking any more spaces, the outcome of the Board of Governors vote last week on this issue is still unclear. Will Concordia protect its students and academic integrity? Or will it surrender to extremism, sacrificing credibility, partnerships, and students’ futures in the process?
Of course, even if Concordia continues it’s relatively new trend of acting responsibly, SPHR and their ilk will continue openly supporting mass murderers. They said as much on the day of the vote.
Hopefully one day, enough ordinary Québécois will see these activists for what they are: violent, privileged, fools.
This article was originally published in The Times of Israel.
