By Nathaly Schneider

Students at York University are no strangers to controversy, but this instance is a little too bizarre (even for their standards)!

In light of the hype surrounding the new movie Iranium, students at York decided that they too wanted to screen this important film to raise awareness to the atrocities committed by the Iranian regime.  Students from the organizing clubs spent the better part of the week tabling not only to promote the movie, but also to raise awareness of Iran’s human rights violations including the hanging of gay men and the stoning of a woman. While the event organizers worked hard to speak up against Iran’s horrific human rights efforts, unfortunately this campaign did not come without its contention.  During the course of tabling, students were met with hostile crowds who let their nationalistic pride outweigh the horrors that their countrymen face.  Refusing to differentiate between distaste for an extremist regime and those at the helm of it, nationalist groups like the Iranian Student's Association, the Middle Eastern Student Association, (and most ironically), the Iranian Human Rights Society organized a protest against the screening of Iranium.  Despite efforts to silence the movie, over 150 people came to the movie screening.

Kudos to all of the student groups who helped organize this campaign including: Hasbara@York, York Campus Conservatives, Iran Human Rights Activists Association of York University and the Jewish Law Students Association.  Special shout-out to Hasbara Fellows Adir Dishy, Dara Koplowitz, Avi Benchetrit and Gilad Poretsky who proved to be great leaders both tabling for and organizing this important event!