Over the past few months, organizations like Magen Herut Canada have established a presence on the UTSG campus, raising concerns among students and groups at U of T advocating for Palestine amid Israel’s war on Gaza. According to their website, Magen Herut Canada “aims to create a volunteer-driven community safety and patrol network across North America, with local teams focused on protecting [Jewish] communities through surveillance, safety, and training initiatives.”

Magen Herut Canada is a registered charity that coordinates with JForce — a private security firm “focused on protecting Jewish communities through surveillance, safety, and training initiatives.”

The groups have been seen patrolling several university campuses, including U of T and Toronto Metropolitan University. Magen Herut Canada’s volunteers, wearing black T-shirts identifying them as part of a “Surveillance Team,” have appeared at numerous pro-Palestine events across Toronto. 

Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killed at least 1,139 people and captured over 200 hostages. Since then, Israel’s attack on Gaza has killed at least 45,805 and injured over 100,000. 

Intimidation and impact on free expression

In an email to The Varsity, Sara Rasikh — a second-year masters student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and a spokesperson for UofT Occupy for Palestine (O4P) — wrote that Magen Herut Canada’s presence on campus has raised significant concerns due to its “connections to far-right ideologies and its role in fostering an intimidating environment for Muslim, Palestinian, Arab, and brown students.”

In response to this concern, Magen Herut Canada founder Aaron Hadida noted in an email to The Varsity that, “[we] embrace all cultures and religions.”

Rasikh claimed the group was involved in incidents such as a confrontation with protesters at King’s College Circle during a rally organized by O4P, where U of T’s Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) claims counter-protesters used Islamophobic slurs and engaged in other forms of harassment. 

Hadida claimed that during this rally, Magen Herut Canada members were only on College Street, not King’s College Circle. 

Rasikh explained that “Magen Herut’s presence has created a hostile and unsafe environment for students advocating for Palestinian liberation. The intimidation tactics, including displays of violent slogans and symbols, have contributed to a chilling effect on free expression.”

Hadida wrote that he welcomes the opportunity to address people’s concerns about Magen Herut Canada’s conduct. “I will not endeavour to address vague claims, that may very well be baseless,” he wrote.

In a recent poll by the MSA, 80 per cent of respondents noted feeling unsafe on campus because of the presence of far-right groups.

Calls for action

Despite repeated efforts by student organizations like O4P and the MSA to raise their concerns about the presence of these groups on campus with the university, they argue that the administration’s response has been inadequate.

In a previous statement to The Varsity, a U of T spokesperson noted that the university has not made any changes to its protest and free speech policies and referred to the FAQ page on free speech that states “The University must allow the fullest range of debate. It should not limit that debate by preordaining conclusions, or punishing or inhibiting the reasonable exercise of free speech.”

She noted that the failure to take a strong stance against groups like Magen Herut Canada has worsened the situation. “The university must prioritize student safety over abstract commitments to free speech that allow for the normalization of hate and extremism,” she wrote. “A failure to act decisively against these threats erodes trust and compromises the well-being of the student body.”

In an email to The Varsity, a university spokesperson wrote that “only police and Campus Safety officers have the authority to provide security services and enforce the law on University of Toronto campuses.”

They added that, “Individuals and groups not otherwise legally restricted are allowed in publicly accessible outdoor spaces on our campuses as long as they abide by the law and university policies.” According to the spokesperson, those found violating U of T policy may be asked to leave, be issued a trespass notice, or face arrest in cases of suspected crimes.

Rasikh emphasized a broader issue at play: “The systemic failure of institutions to address rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism reflects broader societal dynamics where marginalized groups are continually silenced. U of T must not only ban known agitators… but also commit to repairing the harm caused by their inaction.”

The U of T spokesperson noted that “the university supports the well-being and safety of all members of the University of Toronto community with robust resources and supports, including those designed to meet the unique needs of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim community members.”

Beyond calls to university action, Magen Herut Canada’s status as a registered charity has come under scrutiny, with an online petition calling for the removal of their charitable status receiving over 11,000 signatures as of writing. Student groups, including O4P, have taken to social media to call on the Canada Revenue Agency to suspend Magen Herut Canada’s charity status which allows the group to grant their donors’ tax credits.

If you or someone you know has experienced harassment or discrimination based on race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship and/or creed at U of T, report the incident to the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity office: https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/help/. 

You can report incidents of anti-Muslim racism through the National Council of Canadian Muslims’ Hate Crime Reporting form at https://www.nccm.ca/programs/incident-report-form/.

If you or someone you know has experienced Islamophobia, or anti-Muslim racism, or is in distress, you can contact:

Muslim Women Support Line at 647-622-2221 or [email protected]