University of Windsor students, faculty and alumni have signed an open letter demanding the resignation of university president Robert Gordon and vice-president of people, equity and inclusion Clinton Beckford over the decision to make “unacceptable concessions” to pro-Palestinian encampment activists.
Signatories of the letter want the university to reverse its decision to give in to the anti-Israel encampment’s demands and publicly condemn the “boycott divestment and sanctions” (BDS) movement.
The southwestern Ontario university made headlines earlier this month after it made a deal with protesters rather than seek an injunction or have law enforcement remove the encampment.
Pro-Israel advocacy group StandWithUs provided True North with a copy of the letter.
The letter, written by a Windsor law student, says “participants of the encampment campaign have routinely denounced Israel’s right to exist, have glorified Hamas terrorists as ‘martyrs,’ and have called for ‘intifada’ which implies the violent uprising against Jewish people and the state of Israel.”
According to the letter, the presence of the encampment on campus “made an already hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students on the University of Windsor campus even worse.”
The letter says that by “engaging in negotiations with those responsible,” the University of Windsor has given “a free pass to those who intimidate and harass other students and openly violate school rules to promote a campaign of hate.”
The letter and its signatories have eleven demands for the university, including the call for resignation, the call for a reversal of the agreement and plans to boycott Israeli universities, and the call to condemn BDS.
The letter calls on the school to make a public commitment that antisemitism will not be tolerated and ensure Jewish representation in discussions that affect the school’s Jewish community.
The letter also demands a suspension of Students for Justice for Palestine and other clubs involved in the encampment, pending further review and disclosure of their funding sources and whether their activity is in line with the University of Windsor’s code of conduct.
As part of the deal with encampment organizers, the university pledged to “not pursue any institutional academic agreements with Israeli universities until the right of Palestinian self-determination has been realized.” The university also pledged to work towards “establishing or reestablishing institutional relationships with Palestinian universities.”
UWindsor also agreed to more enhanced “diversity, equity and inclusion” practices.
“The university’s anti-racism and anti-oppression policies and websites will address identity-based oppression, including offering comprehensive education and training for senior leaders, faculty, and staff,” the university said.
The letter says the university had an opportunity to promote “core institutional values by providing high quality educational resources about the conflict, caring for all communities that are deeply hurting, and creating opportunities for peace building.” Instead, the letter charged, the school chose to “reward extremists who have been wreaking havoc on our campus, while further silencing and isolating an already targeted population that has consistently requested support through appropriate channels.”
“By dismissing concerns about rising antisemitism on campus and appeasing those who bear responsibility for promoting it, the administration has jeopardized the future of the University of Windsor Jewish community,” the letter adds. “It is time that we stand up against this hate.”
The University of Windsor did not respond to a request for comment.
