Free speech for all… except Jewish students
Two years after the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) chose October 7 to promote a campus gathering titled “Honouring Our Martyrs.”
Let’s be clear about what that language means on this date. On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists murdered, raped, and abducted Israelis in an wave of violence the civilized world rightly recognized as terrorism. To “honour” the perpetrators of that atrocity on that date is not principled dissent; it’s the glorification of violence. Local and national outlets said as much in reporting the outcry that followed the UTMSU poster.
In the days before the event, Jewish students, faculty, and staff, as well as community partners, pleaded with university leaders to act with moral clarity: apply existing policies, uphold the institution’s own commitments to equity and safety, and make it unequivocally clear that praising terrorism has no place on campus. Our message was straightforward: free expression is a bedrock value – but it is not a shield for celebrating violence. Hillel Ontario publicly reiterated those expectations and urged the university to protect Jewish students.
In spite of the fact that university leadership worked in earnest throughout the weekend, what transpired was unacceptable.
Universities that can sanction vaping or alcohol use with ease often seem paralyzed when Jewish safety and dignity are at stake. That double standard is what Jewish students keep running into: expansive “free speech” for those who would laud the killers of Jews; policy hair-splitting when Jews ask for the same protections everyone else takes for granted.
At UTM, the event was allowed to go on. And, what happened? Jewish students needing to be escorted out of the building for their own safety.
This is no isolated incident. When the administration at Western became aware of a student club-affiliated WhatsApp group in which members spewed vile and violent Jew-hatred, they did not act. In fact, they’ve remained silent on the comments made in the group, failing even to broadly condemn threats against Jewish students and other Canadians. This pattern is apparent and clear: when push comes to shove — almost literally — Jewish students are treated differently.
Universities know how to draw lines. They routinely prohibit conduct deemed unbecoming of the institution. They restrict amplified sound near libraries, have strict procedures for booking space, and sanction students who harass others. They do all of this without collapsing into censorship.
What should have happened at UTM is precisely what should happen anywhere and anytime a student body seeks to “honour” terrorists… let alone on a day of Jewish mourning:
- Clear, proactive statements from leadership..
- Consistent enforcement of event policies: neutral (even outdoor) locations, non-disruptive times, and zero tolerance for intimidation, hate, or the glorification of terrorism—standards long applied in other contexts.
- Accountability and appropriate consequences when organizers cross bright lines, so the lesson isn’t that the loudest radicals set campus norms.
Critics will cry censorship. They’re wrong. A university that refuses to platform praise for violence isn’t policing ideas; it’s upholding the minimal conditions for learning in a diverse society.
Whether at UTM, Western, or anywhere else, we must commit to a single, consistent standard: robust debate for all; glorification of violence and intimidation for none.
Jewish students deserve the same promise every student is owed: to learn without fear, and to be protected when that right is threatened. It shouldn’t take another October 7 for Canadian leaders to find their voice. It should only take a conscience.
