The Slander of Hatred

"Our board and congregation and community leaders felt it completely inappropriate that he take part, because it's visceral and personal and such a solemn occasion for us."
"We were more concerned in the perception that by having him here we're basically endorsing him as an individual who would be representative of the community in speaking about this."
"It wasn't just a passive act, it was active."
Ian Staniloff, executive director, Shaarey Zedek congregation Winnipeg

"I am deeply saddened by the insinuations made about me personally and more importantly about the institution I lead. The decisions made in regard to the IAW [Israel Apartheid Week] activities were independent of any personal views ... The University of Manitoba enjoys a meaningful and respectful friendship with the Jewish community. This relationship has been built over many years and informs the fabric of our institution."
David Barnard, president, University of Manitoba

University of Manitoba president David Barnard. (Winnipeg Sun files)

"We believe that this is a wake-up call that comes out of Winnipeg to the rest of the Canadian Jewish community. University administrators can't divest themselves of the responsibility for the security, safety and well-being of students on campus."
"The whole BDS [boycott, divestment, sanctions] movement, the whole IAW [Israel Apartheid Week], has been a systemic effort to demonize Israel and its supporters."
"It's inappropriate because we know the history of the demonization of the Jewish people is what led to the Shoah [Holocaust]."
Frank Dimant, CEO, B'nai Brith Canada

University of Manitoba    The motion bars Students Against Israeli Apartheid from receiving funding from the University of Manitoba Students Union or using activity space in student-union controlled buildings. April 12, 2014

This very individual, David Barnard, appeared to relinquish his responsibility to the fear of being brought before a human rights commission as a result of a complaint lodged potentially should he have denied entry to the university by a group not associated with the university. He gave permission for Israel Apartheid Week to proceed on his campus. This, despite the strenuous objections of the university's student union.

The University of Manitoba student union foresaw the tense climate of intimidation and anger that would accompany the event. There is more than ample proof that such events engender psychical and physical disagreement ending in violent reactions. The intimidation factor alone from the slanderous accusations singling Israel out to be recognized as a human rights abuser, when it alone among all its neighbours is anything but, while the other Middle East states revel in human rights abuses, is enormous.

The student union at the university in fact took a vote resulting in an agreement to withhold funding and official club status from the University of Manitoba chapter of Students Against Israeli Apartheid. The grounds for stripping that chapter of official status clear enough; that repeated accusations denouncing Israel as an illegitimate, racist, apartheid state resulted in others among the student body feeling threatened, undermining their dignity in violation of the university's charter.

Despite that, and after that event denying them status, Mr. Bernard made the decision to allow those proceedings to take place. And he permitted an outside group, the Canada-Palestine Support Network to host the event, held on campus. He found it agreeable to give assent to an outside group of people whose obvious mission is to demonize a foreign nation and an ethnic/religious group, while disdaining the safety, security and peace of mind of university students.

To honour the original invitation extended by Winnipeg's oldest and leading synagogue to David Barnard to give a keynote address during Holocaust commemoration ceremonies defies logic, and so he was disinvited, and that initiative of rejection was directly attributable to his accommodation toward IAW activities.

Any individual of responsibility and credibility who could find it in any way useful to permit such activities, then expect to go on to render compassionate sentiments in mourning the deliberately planned deaths of millions is utterly absent the logic of plain common sense.