By, David Lazarus
1 min read
ByDavid Lazarus, David Lazarus
In the first such case in Canada, a pro-Israel group is seeking compensation for being excluded from a "social justice" event at an Ontario university.
Hasbara Fellowships Canada (HFC), which provides pro-Israel advocacy training to students, has filed a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal seeking £30,000 in damages.
The group is alleging that the Ontario Institute of Technology's student association crossed a line in allowing HFC to be banned from setting up a pro-Israel stand during a "Social Justice Week" last March. The discrimination against HFC was "blatant and unabashed", Canadian director Robert Walker wrote in its submission to the tribunal.
The ban, HFC said, stemmed from the student association's backing for a BDS motion against Israel two months ago.
The institute defended its decision on the grounds that HFC "seemed closely tied to Israel" and therefore the institute would be against providing "any type of resources to your [HFC's]organisation."
The faculty endorsed a boycott motion two months ago
One pro-BDS student said excluding HFC was akin to banning the Ku Klux Klan from a Black Lives Matter event.