By David Plotkin

Many Canadian students are bogged down in books this week, as professors take “Reading Week” (alternately known as Spring Break?) far too literally. It is essential, however, that we take a few moments from our studies to acknowledge a specific event that took place at Carleton University in Ottawa this past week.

On a campus not shy to controversy, a fringe group found a way to hit a new low. Students’ Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) tabled a motion at the meeting of the Student Association (CUSA), calling on the university to adopt a “Socially Responsible Investment” policy for Carleton’s pension fund, which specified divestment from Israeli companies. Essentially their claim boiled down to “investing in these companies is in investing in war crimes.” (The full motion can be read HERE)

In a move applauded by the Ottawa Israel Awareness Committee in a press release, CUSA decided to replace the controversial motion with a fairer directive that called on Carleton University to “engage in ethically responsible investing” without singling out any one country. This compromise motion sparked fury from the anti-Israel crowd in the corridors, who began banging on the walls, beating on drums and chanting slogans, while the SAIA representatives in the meeting berated the CUSA members with verbal attacks. According to Hasbara Fellow and IAC board member Brandon Wallingford, who was present at the meeting, this was “definitely the most intimidating situation that I have experienced at Carleton.”

In an interview with Macleans magazine online, Hashem Hamdy, a CUSA councillor in the Faculty of Public Affairs, expressed the true atmosphere of the event. “My personal safety was threatened repeatedly last night, and I am extremely apprehensive about coming onto campus now.”

That being said, I wish to highlight the positives derived from what was clearly a challenging situation. I would like to applaud IAC board member Emile Scheffel for spearheading an email campaign directed at the CUSA members, and for encouraging the presence of the 50+ pro-Israel activists who showed up for the crucial vote. As well, this situation garnered significant media attention, with articles and commentary in the National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Macleans, The Prince Arthur Herald and The Charlatan, the campus newspaper. The word is out.

This event was a sobering reminder of how fringe groups attempt to hijack the democratic process of student government for their own divisive ends. In the words of Ottawa IAC President Mark Klibanov, “We commend CUSA for passing a resolution on ethical investments. This shows that they take real human rights abuses seriously, and have not bought into the obsession of some to demonize Israel.”

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