Campus panel on social justice faces backlash over speaker selection

A campus panel meant to foster social justice is now at the centre of controversy, as Hillel Queen’s challenges the choice of speakers.

Hillel Queen’s, a subgroup of the Jewish organization Hillel Ontario, made an Instagram post on March 12 criticizing the Yellow House Student Centre for Equity and Inclusion for its selection of speakers at an alumni panel event. The Yellow House, a centre for QTBIPOC students on campus which provides programming, spaces, and resources, recently hosted the Brockington Visitorship Alumni Panel: Cultivating Hope in Times of Grief on March 5, with five panelists in attendance, all of which currently work in social justice.

Hillel took issue with two of the alumni speakers at the event, Maysam Ghani, ConEd ’21, and Kavita Bissoondial, ArtSci ’10, claiming they were involved with Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), a student-run organization advocating for Palestinian human rights.

The post cited various issues Hillel took with SPHR, including the chant posted on SPHR’s Instagram highlight “from the water to the water (i.e. from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean Sea), Palestine is Arab,” along with other instances, which a Hillel spokesperson expanded on in a statement to The Journal.

“In the aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023, SPHR Queen’s has repeatedly spread misinformation, including a post that denied the well-documented sexual violence that took place that day, violence that has been indisputably proven,” a Hillel spokesperson said.

Hillel also expressed concern that SPHR’s general “rhetoric and actions create fear and tension for Jewish and Israeli students, who have faced increasing hostility in the months since Oct. 7.”

According to Hillel, they met with University administrators to express their concerns with Yellow House’s decision, but they weren’t satisfied with the response.

“Initially, the University’s response was defensive, doubling down on the intent behind the event and insisting that its focus was on hope and self-care rather than politics. However, this response overlooked the implicit endorsement of the speakers’ views that came with the University’s decision to platform them over others,” Hillel said.

When asked why they believe a connection between the panelists and SPHR would be harmful, Hillel highlighted deeper, more fundamental concern.

“Supporting free expression shouldn’t mean giving a platform to rhetoric that dehumanizes and incites hostility against an identifiable group on campus,” the Hillel’s spokesperson said.

In a statement to The Journal, the University, speaking on behalf of Yellow House, explained that the event followed its Free Expression Policy, which seeks to provide “an environment conducive to open dialogue and debate.”

“The event was conceived within the framework of the University’s Free Expression Policy. All panelists respected the policy, and there were plans in place to ensure safety, respect, and accountability, to foster individual empowerments for all in attendance, as the University works to advance ongoing dialogue across change-making efforts on campus,” the University said.

The University also commented more directly on its engagement with Jewish students, explaining they recognize Jewish students haven’t always had affirming or positive experiences but they’re engaging with Hillel Queen’s to address these concerns.

The Journal reached out to SPHR for a response to the claims made by Hillel but was declined a statement. 

SPHR stated they refuse to comment as the original post by Hillel is “fueled with anti-Palestinian racism and hate.”

Tags

Hillel Queen's, SPHR, YellowHouse

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