York University threatens recognition of 3 student unions following statement on Israel-Hamas war

York University issued a written notice to three student unions following their joint statement on the Israel-Hamas war, ordering them to choose betweenseveral "remedial" actions or provethey didn't breach universitypolicies or risk losing recognition from the university.

In a statementposted online Friday, the university said the unions' statement was "widely interpreted asa justification for attackingcivilians and a call to violence" and elicited "serious concerns, outrage and fear" by many, including students.

"While the university affirms the right of students and other community members to express political views, including support for the Israeli and/or Palestinian people, theuniversityhascondemnedthisstatementnoting that freedom of speech is not absolute," reads the release.

"The university is deeply disappointed that this step is now required, but we are compelled to uphold university policies and to act in the best interests of the York community, including those of the student unions and their memberships."

CBC Toronto has reached out to York Federation of Students, York University Graduate Students' Association and Glendon College Student Union for comment.

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Some Canadian school boards are now taking steps to support and provide mental health services to Jewish and Muslim students who are emotionally struggling with the Israel-Hamas war. Fear of backlash has led some worried parents to keep their children at home.

The moveserves as the school's latest escalation against the unionsafter theyreleased a statementon social media last week in solidarity with the Palestinian people "within Palestine and the global diaspora" and expressed support for "their ongoing fight against settler-colonialism, apartheid, and genocide."

The statement describes the attack on Israelis on Oct. 7 by Hamas as a "strong act of resistance" andrefers to Israel as "so-called Israel." It goes on to criticize Israelfor its air strikes on Gaza and also denounced the York University administration's stances on the conflict

The government of Canada has previously saidit rejectsthe viewthat "Israel's actions constitute apartheid." Canada also does not recognize Israeli actions asgenocide.

Since the statement's release, the university says it tried to engage with the unions multiple times to "address the serious and ongoing harms created by their statement."

Itcalled upon the student union executives to "immediately clarify" and "firmly reject" acts of violence or discrimination against Jewish students and other community members, and to "reaffirm their commitment to non-violence and the safety of all of their members."

TheFriends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) have previously denounced the statement by the student unions, which it called "incendiary" andan attempt to glorify Hamas.

Follow 'remedial' actions or face possible sanctions

In its statement, the university says it's requiring all three unions to:

• Retract the statement and remove it from all public platforms.
• Issueanother statement saying they don't "endorse or support antisemitism or any form of discrimination or violence," that they acknowledge the harm caused by the statement and are committed to the safety of the entire membership and taking steps "to repair these harms."
• Have all student union executives resign, with an immediate by-election tobe held after.

The unions also have the choice to undergo a hearing instead. They mustprove they didn't breach university regulations for student organizations,including"failure to operate in an open, accessible, democratic, non-discriminatory manner"and"failure to act in accordance with the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion for all members."

If the unions arefound to have breached university policies, they may be subject to sanctions with the most severe being the university "withdrawing recognition of the union."

The school says the unions must undergo theremedial actions or state they have not breached any university rules by 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 25.