North American university campuses are the scene of major pro-Palestinian demonstrations and encampments are springing up all over North America. McGill University, which cannot be described as a university of extremists or leftists, is no exception. Students, accompanied by certain disruptors, decided to take up residence there for an indefinite period in order to denounce the massacre in Gaza.
The cause they defend is obviously legitimate. Gaza is destroyed, its inhabitants are massacred by tens of thousands and its children, those who are not yet dead, are starving. All this is certainly true, but cannot justify the unjustifiable.
Unjustifiable
And when we talk about unjustifiable, we are talking about the hateful, anti-Semitic message, calling for violence. Just as we cannot justify the massacre in Gaza with the massacre of October 7, we cannot use the distress of Gazans to justify hateful speech here, in Quebec and throughout the country.
What is the point of disgusting Montreal Jewish students, intimidating them and creating a climate of hatred if it is really against this same hatred that we are demonstrating? Students and other committed protesters who want to denounce the war should start by setting an example. Yes, they can demonstrate and even disturb, since it is a question of exercising freedom of expression, but this comes with responsibilities, in particular that of maintaining the peace, of excluding the disruptors and those who ultimately harm the cause by their insults, threats and attacks.
Collective awakening
There is currently a collective awakening taking place, an awakening regarding the abandonment of humanity towards a people who suffer in indifference. The most powerful in this world seek to look the other way and move on. Those who are using this crisis to unleash their anti-Semitism and violence are doing much to bury the voices of those calling for peace. They only have to analyze the context: while we talk about violence on campuses, we barely touch on those currently raging in Gaza and which are causing real victims.
