Expel Hamas sympathizers from campuses
We should not be ‘negotiating with terrorists’
The encampments now taking hold of Canadian and American campuses are nothing short of an assault on Judeo-christian values of freedom, democracy, and human rights. For all the so-called “equity, diversity, and inclusivity” (EDI) champions workshopping these values in corporate and public boardrooms, where are your voices now — when Jewish students and faculty are physically obstructed from attending university? Silence.
Antisemitism has been hiding in plain sight all these years as universities integrated and institutionalized falsehoods propagated by pro-palestinian campaigns like “Israeli apartheid week” and “Boycott, Divest and Sanction” (BDS). While everyone else was looking away, excusing bad behaviour as “free speech,” universities have been overtaken by radical students, faculty, and unions.
For nearly 25 years, we warned them relentlessly, that what starts with the Jews will certainly not end with them. Throughout time and place, in any society, we have always been the most vulnerable community. At UBC, a sign posted on the encampment read, “Zionists F--- Off.” In every generation, we are the target of the shortcomings of a failing and frustrated society that often requires a scapegoat.
But now they are not only coming after Jews. They are coming after everyone else. They are camping out on your lawns. They are stopping your children and staff from attending classes. And since for two decades, the universities refused to do anything about it, they are now becoming physical — breaking down doors and windows, as they did this week at Columbia and now at UCLA.
We often quote Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemoller’s famous “first they came for” saying: “first they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came for the socialists ... then they came for the trade unionist ... then they came for the Jews but I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
Funny thing, Niemoller is said to have first aligned himself with Hitler’s beliefs. It was only after Hitler interfered with the church and put Niemoller in concentration camps that he spoke out. People speak out when there is self-interest. If you are not Jewish, in case you haven’t noticed, your self-interest is in jeopardy.
They are coming after you next.
Our universities are being overrun by people who are aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist group that on Oct. 7 murdered 1,200 people in cold blood, including babies and children and raped and mutilated countless women.
Their obstruction of Jewish students from attending class is not dissimilar to the Taliban’s obstruction of women from attending school. If you are not of the Jewish faith, it’s time for you to rise up and listen to Niemoller (out of self-interest) and take action. This fight is not about the Israeli-palestinian conflict or about the war with Hamas. It’s a fight about your freedom and the future of western democracy.
The pro-hamas protesters are supporting an entity that is oppressive, undemocratic, and certainly does not uphold values of equity, diversity, and inclusivity. Fundamentally, they are anti-capitalist anarchists who are using this opportunity to disrupt our foundational values, which represent our core beliefs.
THIS FIGHT IS NOT ABOUT ... THE WAR WITH HAMAS. IT’S A FIGHT ABOUT YOUR FREEDOM AND THE FUTURE OF WESTERN DEMOCRACY.
The pro-hamas activists who have upended universities, who have made their presidents shake at the knees, and who have forced our police officers to risk their lives — are holding entire communities hostage by aligning with Hamas. We should not be “negotiating with terrorists.” Students not adhering to a university’s code of conduct and to the laws of the land should be fined, arrested, and expelled.
If there is a message I can leave with you today, especially if you are not targeted as part of the Jewish community, it’s that your voice is crucial and necessary now more than ever. Call your member of Parliament and your provincial representative. Write letters to your local university presidents and tell your friends why this is important for their own self-interest. As usually happens in any failed society, after they are done targeting the Jewish community, they will be coming after everyone else.