It’s well past time to clear out university kaffiyeh camps
Ford needs to show some leadership
Is anyone in charge in the province of Ontario? Anti-israel protesters have set up camps at the University of Toronto, Mcmaster University and the University of Ottawa, and yet nothing has been done to end these illegal takeovers of the campuses.
On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, “I’m not in favour of these encampments on the universities. They need to move.” He added: “I want to make sure all the kids feel safe and some kids aren’t feeling safe. It’s up to U of T to move them along. I’m not against demonstrations. I’m not against protests. That’s private property, U of T’s property, and they need to move along.”
That was a substantial upgrade on his comments the previous week when he said, “You know what I wish? I wish everyone gets along. Sure, there’s conflicts around the world. They want to voice their opinion. And that’s their democratic right. Do it peacefully. That’s all I ask.”
All Ford was saying is give peace a chance. That was a hit for John Lennon in 1969, but it’s not the kind of leadership the province needs in 2024.
Ford is dreaming if he thinks Ontario universities will take any decisive action against anti-israel student encampments.
It’s just not in their DNA. These are institutions that get upset over microaggressions and live in fear of offending any identifiable group.
Before the encampments were set up, senior officials at both the U of T and the University of Ottawa warned that squatting on university land constituted trespassing and violated university rules. They promised serious consequences for those who disobeyed.
Of course, the encampments went ahead and the universities did nothing.
Even worse, Toronto gave students a deadline of 10 p.m. last Thursday to shut down the encampments. The students and assorted other agitators ignored the deadline, rightly figuring that they were up against a weak opponent. The university protesters have been somewhat more strategic than the anti-israel street demonstrators who openly advocate Jew-hate.
The students’ chief “demand” is that the universities divest themselves of any stocks in companies that do business with Israel. It’s a silly, self-righteous position that will have no effect whatsoever on the conflict in Gaza.
U of T students also want their university to cut off all academic contact with Israeli schools.
Why would they want an Israeli perspective when they can learn all they need to know about the Middle East from Hamas propagandists?
University presidents get part marks for not capitulating to the demands, so far. But at the U of T, the reasoning is pathetic. In a statement, university president Meric Gertler did not take the opportunity to condemn the stench of antisemitism that underlies these protests.
Instead, he gave a long, technical answer about investment fund policy.
The university says its focus is on the “health, safety and security of our students.” At the same time, the school has “serious concerns” about altercations and hateful messages
and speech. For their part, students speaking to the media say they won’t give up until they get their way.
It’s fair to describe the situation on the campuses as a stalemate that could easily get worse. The universities seem to be waiting for that to happen and apparently police won’t act until they are asked by the universities.
They might want to consider the experience of American colleges, many of which ran out of patience with the pointless demonstrations. Major encampments have been dismantled in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and many other cities.
Since April 18, just over 2,600 people have been arrested on 50 campuses, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press.
In a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, University of Florida president Ben Sasse said things that would be unthinkable on any Canadian campus, but he got right to the heart of the matter.
“At the University of Florida, we have repeatedly, patiently explained two things to protesters: We will always defend your rights to free speech and free assembly — but if you cross the line on clearly prohibited activities, you will be thrown off campus and suspended. In Gainesville, that means a three-year prohibition from campus. That’s serious. We said it. We meant it. We enforced it. We wish we didn’t have to, but the students weighed the costs, made their decisions, and will own the consequences as adults. We’re a university, not a daycare. We don’t coddle emotions, we wrestle with ideas.”
Doug Ford would be wise to take note. It’s time to put an end to Ontario’s camps for kaffiyeh kids.
Ford needs to bring police chiefs and university presidents together at the same table and get it done.
IT’S A SILLY, SELF-RIGHTEOUS POSITION.