CAMERA on Campus is deeply concerned about the events that transpired at Concordia University’s Student Government Meeting on January 29, where a BDS referendum was passed under troubling and undemocratic circumstances. Reports from Jewish students indicate that the meeting was overrun with nearly 1,000 attendees, significantly exceeding its expected capacity of 700.
The designated Q&A session and structured debate were abandoned, depriving dissenting voices of the opportunity to be heard. Even more alarming, Jewish students were subjected to intimidation, harassment, and targeted abuse, both during and after the meeting. Video evidence confirms that attendees praised Yahya Sinwar, the now-deceased leader of Hamas, a terrorist organization designated by Canada, the US, and many other nations, responsible for heinous attacks on innocent civilians. Additionally, there are concerns that the Students for Palestine Honor and Resistance (SPHR) group and other students received masks to obscure their identities, allegedly from the Concordia Student Union, raising questions about the transparency of the voting process.
The referendum passed, and students who rejected the motion, reportedly mostly or all Jewish, faced harassment and intimidation when leaving the meeting, causing fear among Jewish students both present and watching remotely.
The Concordia administration has remained largely silent on these egregious violations of student safety and the democratic process, issuing only a brief statement. Meanwhile, Jewish students fear the repercussions of this BDS resolution, which threatens funding for vital academic programs and student organizations, such as the Judaic Studies program.
CAMERA on Campus unequivocally condemns this hostile environment and calls on Concordia University to take immediate action to protect its Jewish students, ensure fair governance, and uphold academic freedom. We urge the university’s Board of Governors to reject this BDS motion and to stand firmly against antisemitism in all its forms.
We stand in solidarity with the Jewish student community at Concordia and will continue to amplify their voices and advocate for their rights on campus.
