Academics in Canada face harassment, suppression for pro-Palestinian speech

A new report shows academics, students and activists have been facing harassment, intimidation, repression and reprisals across Canada for their pro-Palestinian views.

While the new 106-page report by Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) is mostly focused on Canada, it also touches on the experiences of European academics, artists and students who are publicly pro-Palestinian.

The report, which includes 77 testimonies, describes both the overarching effects of the crackdown and the personal impacts it has on students, faculty and activists.

"When it comes to Palestinian human rights, too often academic freedom and freedom of expression are undermined," the report states, "and with them the possibility of finding just solutions to intractable problems."

The report, named "Unveiling the Chilly Climate - The Suppression of Speech on Palestine in Canada" is thought to be the first detailed examination of the experiences of faculty and students who criticize Israel's policies toward Palestine.

Independent researchers say equating criticism of Israel with antisemitism is suppressing discussion in educational institutions in Canada and elsewhere across the Western countries.

The report also examined Palestinians who are actively attempting to change these policies by both their support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and their opposition to the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

"There is a connection to be made here between these attacks and efforts by pro-Israel advocacy groups to market the IHRA, a document that has come under vigorous attack by defenders of academic freedom and Palestinian human rights," the report said. 

"While its proponents argue that this definition will not threaten freedom of expression or inhibit criticism of Israeli policies, the findings of this report demonstrate that these basic rights are already under threat and could be further imperiled if the IHRA were to be widely adopted."

The report documents the widespread use of the IHRA by lawmakers and Israel lobby groups to silence speech on campuses and repress Palestine solidarity activism around the country.

ME