Written by David Ros,
SAIA has been protesting
in Vari Hall as well as the
senate chamber in N940
Ross.
Photo by Michael Nandan
SAIA also disrupted guest speaker
Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) protested two
events at York University this week, disrupting the university
senate meeting as well as a speaking engagement held by a
former Israeli politician.
During the March 27 senate meeting, SAIA stood outside
the doors of the senate chamber, banged loudly on them and
chanted “Free, free Palestine, viva, viva, Palestina,” and
“We want Shoukri,” in reference to their demand to meet
with York University President Mamdouh Shoukri.
Members of the university senate, the governing body in
charge of decisions affecting academics on campus,
attempted to continue business as usual, despite a
constant distraction from the protesters outside.
The chants only grew louder as Shoukri took the podium
to make his presidential remarks.
The meeting concluded as scheduled, and Shoukri invited
the protesters into the senate chamber afterwards
to address their concerns.
One of the group’s leaders was the former
York Federation of Students (YFS) vice-president
equity and services Ahmed Habib who said that
York University has had a long history of repressing
student activism on campus.
Habib called for the student code of conduct to be
re-examined in order to grant the YFS the right to
provide permission to use Vari Hall. Currently, the
university holds that right.
“The most effective learning places on this campus are in
the hallways and particularly Vari Hall,” he said during
the impromptu meeting.
Shoukri said that one of his main roles was to facilitate
freedom of speech on campus for any point of view and
that it was important to provide every group with
an equal opportunity.
He criticized SAIA for not using the proper channels to
book a meeting with him.
“Do you really want to discuss the issues with me, or do you
really want a photo op?” he asked the protesters.
“If you want to meet with me, ask for an appointment.”
Shoukri said that he tries to make himself as accessible as
possible and makes a point of walking around campus as much
as he can. He also told SAIA that they could have invited him
to any of their meetings, but they chose not to do so.
SAIA member Ali Mustafa said the group did not originally
intend to disrupt the senate meeting.
“The original plan was to march up to the president’s office
and to get him to see us there,” Mustafa said.
“When we learned that he wasn’t present at that time at his
office and that he was actually in the senate, then we decided
to go down there and to see if he would meet with us there.”
SAIA also protested loudly at a March 31 speaking engagement
held by former Israeli deputy prime minister
Natan Sharansky at Vanier College.
“As the event began, I was told by one of these [SAIA]
individuals that, ‘The event would not happen; we will not
let it happen,’” said Rebecca Woods Baum, director of
Israel affairs for Hillel of Greater Toronto.
“And certainly they tried everything in their power to
disrupt the event, from making sure their cellphones rang,
to having loud conversations, to yelling at the speaker,
to attempting to intimidate and bully other York
students present.”
SAIA member Hammam Farah said the protesters were
laughed at and ridiculed by the largely pro-Israeli crowd.
The event, which was organized by Hillel of Greater Toronto,
in conjunction with the York Centre for Jewish Studies,
attracted close to 100 people.
Daniel Ferman, Hillel @ York president-elect, noted that,
despite the disruption, Sharansky granted SAIA the first
question from the audience.
SAIA, however, was not appeased.
“We were only allowed two questions and they weren’t answered,”
said SAIA member Saron Gheberselassie.
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