TAKING A STAND AGAINST SAIA HATE EVENT
AT UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Letters to the U of T against Hate Event scheduled for this Friday – must write soon by midnight!
BACKGROUND
The hate event is planned for this Friday December 18, 2020
The University group, SAIA, Student Against Israel Apartheid, a registered university group, has organized an event called, “Palestinian Political Prisoners and the Anti-Apartheid Student Resistance”, featuring participants with ties/affiliations with the PFLP.
Some info on speakers you should know:
The moderator Yafa Jarrar is the daughter of PFLP member Khalida Jarrar and the moderator is on record of supporting and justifying her mother’s actions
The two speakers are reported to be members of the Democratic Progressive Student Pole (DPSP) , a listed terrorist organization in Israel and an affiliate of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a listed terrorist organization in Canada.
See the event ad https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/palestinian-political-prisoners-the-anti-apartheid-student-resistance-tickets-131740233585
Many letters and phone calls to U of T Admin could make a difference
We must impress upon the U of T Admin that not denouncing the event organized by SAIA and allowing it to proceed will enable terrorism to be glorified on campus and will further promote an environment that allows antisemitism to thrive thereby putting the safety and security of Jewish and pro-Israel students at risk
We urge people to write to the University of Toronto to state our shared concerns about this event.
See WRITING POINTS and TWO SAMPLE LETTERS BELOW.
Each letter should attempt at being different. Letters will have less of an impact if they are all the same.
You can create your own letter using the following writing points or put a sample letter into your own words. Be polite. Let us know if you write by emailing andria@caef.ca
WRITING POINTS (only use a few of these points)
The U of T Admin should be ensuring that the U of T campus is a welcoming venue for ALL students. An event which singles out and discriminates against one group on campus, that is, the Jewish students, is against the university’s Human Rights policies.
At a time when the Arab world is turning to Israel for peace and normalization of relations, allowing an event so closely tied to the PFLP, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and authorized by the U of T, by its very essence, will promote hatred and is plainly wrong.
This event should be disavowed by U of T Admin – there should be no place on the U of T campus for an event based on hatred and misinformation
The PFLP is on the List of Terrorist Organization of the Canadian Government and should not be supported by the U of T and it’s student groups in any way.
Since both Ontario and Canada have officially adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, the U of T should condemn an event which by its very title foments hatred of Jews and by extension against Jewish students at the U of T.
Israel Apartheid Week had its beginning at the U of T which is a stain upon the university. This accusation of Israel Apartheid is a lie and has no merit. It is a myth promoted by those who want to condemn Israel.
The U of T has the right to stand by its moral convictions and denounce student groups if they hold events contrary to university policy.
The university has the right to disallow events from being held on campus or advertising that they are on behalf of the university if they go against campus policy. This holds true if they are held online.
The U of T will be legitimizing the message of hatred and glorification of terrorism promoted by this event if it does not denounce this event.
The new Antisemitism Working Group at the U of T should take this event into serious discussion.
The U of T should make every effort to make its campus a welcoming place for all students including Jewish students.
This SAIA event should be canceled. The purpose of the event is to denigrate Israel and will affect Jewish students on campus by creating Jew Hatred.
WRITE TO – write and phone (leaving a prepared voice message) to the President and others – this takes courage but is important. The SAIA event should be condemned
Meric Gertler, President –
president@utoronto.ca 416-978-4163
The following link provides emails of other admins
You can also contact Eventbrite at 1-877-620-9578 to cancel the University of Toronto SAIA event.
You can also contact Zoom which will be used to broadcast the event. Contact CEO Eric Yuan, Zoom, eric.yuan@zoom.us
Our sincerest thanks for participating. Please write to us if you do send a letter/place a call
Andria Spindel, Executive Director. Andria@caef.ca
REMINDER: Please do not copy letters – put in your own words…try and get your letter out by midnight tonight, Thursday, December 17
SAMPLE LETTER #1
Dear President Gertler,
I understand that SAIA, an official University of Toronto organization, is hosting a program this Friday entitled,“Palestinian Political Prisoners and the Anti-Apartheid Student Resistance”, using Eventbrite. Their advertising indicates that this event is associated with the terrorist organization PFLP, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. As you know, the PFLP is on the Canadian list of Terrorist organizations.
The myth of Israel as an Apartheid State originated at the University of Toronto and was supported by the U of T Administration in 2002; it was a lie meant to demonize Israel, the National Homeland of the Jewish people. Israel Apartheid Week has become a black mark against the U of T. Jewish students on campus have been made to feel unwelcome and under attack since its beginning. A university should be a welcoming place for all students but in fact is not for the Jewish students.
The excuse used by the U of T has been that these are independent student organizations over which the administration has no control. Well, it is time for the administration to take a strong moral stand and condemn this event which goes againstHuman Rights policy of the University; the university must stand up against the hatred.
There is no question that this SAIA event would be considered an act of antisemitism as per Ontario Legislature Order in Council 1450/2020. Here is the link:
Thus, there should be a public condemnation of this event from the U of T Administration and as well, the U of T should have the courage to cancel this event.
This SAIA event is of such significance that it should be discussed by the new U of T Antisemitism Working Group.
At a time when the Abraham Accords is working towards peace and normalization with Israel, this SAIA event which is meant to demonize Israel is most inappropriate.
I urge you to take a strong stand and cancel this SAIA event.
I look forward to hearing back from you,
Sincerely,
Name
Address, City
POSTAL CODE
SAMPLE LETTER #2
Dear President Gertler,
It has been brought to my attention that a University of Toronto student organization, SAIA, Students Against Israeli Apartheid, is hosting an online antisemitic program this Friday entitled “Palestinian Political Prisoners and the Anti-Apartheid Student Resistance”. It features members of a designated terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). This organization is on Canada’s list of Terrorist Organizations.
The Student Organization, SAIA U of T, is an official U of T student group and is listed in the advertising: The University of Toronto's Students Against Israeli Apartheid in partnership with the Palestinian Youth Movement and the CUPE 3902 BDS Committee is honoured to host Palestinian student activists and former political prisoners...
The world knows that the annual presentation of lies and denigration of Israel as an Apartheid State originated in the classrooms and corridors of U of T in 2002 and has been growing and spreading worldwide since then. The U of T needs to condemn the SAIA event. Since both Canada and Ontario, have adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, the U of T should denounce events which promote antisemitism and anti-Zionism which is often used as a cover.
Zionism is the legitimate, Jewish civil rights movement for self-determination in the Jewish homeland in Israel.
I respectfully request that the SAIA event be canceled since it is organized in association with the PFLP which is a listed terrorist organization in Canada which has carried out many deadly attacks in Israel.
It is time that the administration did speak out disavow itself of this event. The U of T must speak up when student organizations, go beyond university policy and promote bias and Jew hatred. The goal of this event is to smear Israel and would incite Antisemitism as per Ontario Legislature Order in Council 1450/2020 and should be condemned. See link:
This SAIA event should be the first items on the agenda of U of T’s newly launched Antisemitism Working Group.
This SAIA event should be canceled since it will definitely increase antisemitism on campus.
It is up to the U of T to make sure that its campus is a welcoming place for all students and hatred of any kind should be condemned.
Sincerely yours,
Name
Address, City and POSTAL CODE