The Concordia riot in Montreal was put under the microscope last Tuesday by a distinguished panel including former Ontario premier and U of T professor Bob Rae.
“Anti-Semitism, in its modern form, is a particularly vicious expression of the thought that somehow the Jews as people are less than human,” said Rae.
“It shouldn’t be happening where our government is unable to say publicly that there is something called anti-Semitism…which is alive and well…in Europe and in Canada and in North America. [We] should be teaching our children…. that this is a kind of behaviour which is especially vicious and especially cruel, because we know from history what the consequences of ignoring this hatred have been.”
Some panelists saw the Concordia riot not only as a threat to freedom of speech on university campuses, but also as a reflection of growing anti-Semitism around the world.
The panelists were also concerned that societies have become less tolerant. In the words of Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente, “In the name of tolerance, we cannot tolerate intolerance.”
A student from Concordia University, Yoni Petel, was present among the panelists to share his experience during the riot. “They were fighting, the window was smashed and there was a guy with a knapsack with rocks. They also threw chairs and tables at the police. It was very violent.”
According to Petel, what happened at Concordia was “not an isolated incident. It is a build-up of a lot of harassment and intimidation…this is the most extreme example of violence and intimidation on campus, but it is not the first example.”
He also said university students should be concerned about what happened because the riot was a real threat to the freedom of speech for students in Concordia. “Everybody lost their freedom of speech at Concordia…and who’s to say that it wouldn’t happen here? So the average U of T student should start thinking about it,” Petel said.
