On October 6 at 7:08 pm, Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, and former Education Minister, Stephen Lecce, reacted to an Instagram post shared by the UTMSU, the Muslim Students Association (MSA), and the Association of Palestinian Students (APS). The post was promoting an upcoming student commemoration, “Honouring Our Martyrs,” for Palestinian casualties since the October 7 attacks two years prior. 

Lecce’s reaction on X criticizes the commemoration, writing that it is “appalling to think that this morally degenerate group will glorify the barbaric murder of 1,200 kids, mothers, fathers, and grandparents. This hateful, anti-semitic, and anti-democratic mob should be condemned and banned from any campus.”

Later on October 7, the MSA released a statement on Instagram, which states that Lecce’s words are “defamatory and completely false,” and that the Association is “in consultation with legal counsel” and “will take necessary steps to defend [themselves] against [Lecce’s] defamatory allegations.”

“Honouring Our Martyrs” commemoration

At 3:00 pm on October 7, the UTMSU, MSA, and APS together hosted “Honouring Our Martyrs”, a student gathering outside of UTM’s Student Center to “commemorate two years of genocide in Palestine.”

UTMSU flyers were posted on the day with community guidelines, which read that all participants are encouraged to adhere to the union’s code of conduct and “to ensure a peaceful, respectful, and safe environment for everyone present.” 

The commemoration began with a land acknowledgement and an equity statement by the UTMSU, followed by several speeches from guest speakers from the APS. 

UTMSU’s President Andrew Park said, “We gather to remember the martyrs of Gaza; the mothers, their children, doctors, teachers, the students — who, just like us, have been murdered.” Referring to the scale of destruction in Gaza as a result of the “Zionist Occupation,” Park continued: “Every school, every library, every space of knowledge and hope have been reduced to rubble.” 

Shortly after, one of the speeches was disrupted by a member of the public who shouted, “Blame Hamas” and “All Arabs are terrorists.” The speaker continued regardless. 

On October 8, the UTMSU released a statement explaining the intentions of their commemoration, reaffirming that the UTMSU “stands in solidarity with all the lives lost on October 7th, 2023, and throughout the ongoing genocide in Gaza.” The statement also elaborates on the historic role student activism and union pressures play in the fight for justice, from organizing “against the South African apartheid regime to resisting global systems of oppression today.”

Student response 

Several of UTMSU’s Instagram posts received comments expressing both praise and criticism of the commemoration. 

In an email interview with The Varsity, one fourth-year student — who has been a part of the online backlash on Instagram — shared their experiences attending the commemoration, writing that, “ ‘Honouring Our Martyrs’ is dynamite in terms of phrasing, especially given the context of the chosen date.”

When asked whether they agreed that Jewish communities need to be acknowledged in these conversations, the student wrote, “I just think that almost no acknowledgement of [Israeli or Jewish] sorrows and losses is, while not explicitly wanted, implicitly dehumanizing.” 

However, other students disagree. The Varsity spoke with recent UTM graduate Yasmine Benabderrahmane, who said that, “there needs to be caution and regard to the Jewish body on our campuses, but I don’t think it’s fair to continuously police the way Palestinians choose to advocate for themselves and police the way that the [Palestine liberation] movement is unfolding.” 

Additionally, Benabderrahmane believes it would have been “unfair” for the UTMSU to choose a different date for the commemoration because “The genocide on Gaza was also assumed on October 7.” 

Benabderrahmane said that she is proud of the UTMSU’s stance on Palestine: “In the face of genocide, there needs to be a stance taken.” 

The UTMSU’s Equity Statement states that the union has a “collective responsibility to create a space that is inclusive and welcomes discussion.” To uphold this “responsibility,” the UTMSU encourages students to voice any opinions or concerns about the October 7 commemoration through informal and formal complaints. 

Additionally, the Jewish Faculty Network is offering listening sessions for any UTM students who wish to confidentially share thoughts and reflect on how the October 7 commemoration may impact or relate to Jewish communities on campus. According to the UTMSU, these listening sessions are meant to “increase understanding and support responsibility in the UTMSU community in a climate of division and ongoing trauma.”

Editor’s note: On March 26, 2026, this article was updated to anonymize a source.