Lincoln Alexander School of Law must take action against students who call for “resistance”

TORONTO (Oct. 23, 2023) – The Jewish Campus Coalition (Allied Voices for Israel (AVI), Hillel Ontario and StandWithUs Canada) is demanding that the Lincoln Alexander School of Law (LASL) take action against students who espoused support for Hamas “resistance” efforts against “so-called Israel.”

This week, the Abolitionist Organizing Collective and other students at LASL, an affiliate of Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), issued a horrendous statement that not only “supported all forms” of “resistance,” but claimed that Israel is “not a country,” but “a brand of a settler colony.”

The statement also blames “all loss of life,” Israeli and Palestinian alike, on the Jewish State.

Given the important precedent set by both McGill University and York University against students who have endorsed the horrific Hamas attacks, it is clear the LASL must immediately reprimand each and every student who signed their name to this horrendous statement endorsing violence, massacre, and genocide.

The Jewish Campus Coalition is calling on LASL administrators to follow this precedent and ensure the students retract their statement, apologize to the Jewish community and students of conscience, and issue a public statement confirming they do not endorse or support violence or antisemitism.

It is our opinion that the Abolitionist Organizing Collective must be stripped of any funding or status and revoked as a student club.

Nicole Basovich, a Jewish first-year law student at LASL, condemned the anti-Israel statement in the strongest of terms. “This statement displays a profound lack of education and understanding about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Neglecting to unequivocally denounce Hamas’ extremist acts of terror against Israeli civilians and instead justifying the violence as resistance is deplorable and unconscionable. Further, the endorsement and encouragement of all forms of Palestinian resistance, without any discernment or qualification, is deeply troubling.”

She continued. “Singling out one party in the conflict and refusing to acknowledge the legitimate evil directed at Israelis inadvertently lends legitimacy to radical violence against Jews and perpetuates a polarizing rhetoric. Antisemitism, like any form of discrimination, has no place in any discourse, especially within an educational institution. Supporting and celebrating acts of terror is morally reprehensible and goes against the principles of justice, human rights, and the rule of law that should be at the heart of any legal institution.”

We applaud and echo Basovich's sentiment – there must be a zero tolerance policy when it comes to glorifying and celebrating terrorism and genocide on campus – whether at York, McGill, TMU, or any other academic institution in Canada.