"The suppression of honest discussion [about Palestinian-Israeli issues] in Canadian and American Universities is due to organized lobbying by North American organizations who believe anything the Israeli Government says" -Michael Keefer, department of English and Theatre Studies

Over 300 university professors from across Canada, including Guelph's own Michael Keefer of the department of English and Theatre Studies, have signed an open letter protesting alleged attempts by university administrations to silence pro-Palestine groups on Canadian campuses.

The open letter was prompted by an article written by Lisa Schofield for the online news outlet Rabble.ca, which uncovered 250 emails between University of Toronto administrators outlining an attempt to prevent Palestine solidarity activities from taking place at U of T in October 2008.

Schofield wrote, "U of T seems to have declared a full-fledged war against its Palestinian and pro-Palestinian students."

The faculty's release of the open letter preceded Israeli Apartheid Week, a province wide week of activism to promote awareness of the plight of the Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Territories. The term "Israeli Apartheid" has received controversy in the past. For instance, McMaster University attempted to ban the use of the term in February 2007.

Despite the controversy, Keefer said that, "it is with deep sadness that the term does fit, so I do not hesitate to encourage its use." He points to Israel's recent actions in the Gaza Strip, check point systems and Israeli-only roads in the West Bank to validate his point.

For Keefer, the letter is meant to protest a systemic problem.

"The suppression of honest discussion [about Palestinian-Israeli issues] in Canadian and American Universities is due to organized lobbying by North American organizations who believe anything the Israeli Government says," he said. "The irony is that the range of critical thinking within Israel appears to be much wider than it is in Canada and the United States."

Keefer went on to say that, "for there to be civilized academic discussion there must be a setting in which differences of debate can assemble and weigh them against each other. This is how we establish an understanding of what is true and not true."

According to Keefer, this issue is not a problem at the University of Guelph. He cited examples in which the school defended his own right to academic freedom.

Brenda Whiteside, U of G's vice president of Student Affairs said, "I think we have a culture that encourages debate so we do not try and stifle debate … and at the same time we have a culture of respect for people's opinions and beliefs. That is why we don't get some of the stuff that is happening around the other campuses."

She points to the fact that both the Jewish Students Organization and Israeli Apartheid Week have tables positioned across from each other in the University Centre this week.

Whiteside revealed that there have been instances in which the administration has met with students who were set to bring in controversial speakers and warned the group over past behaviour. However, each time the administration left the final decision up to the group. Whiteside affirmed that the school has never shut any one down, nor has any group been found to incite hate or violence on campus.

 Source: Click here