University of Manitoba Students Union ignores legal advice, votes to strip anti-Israel group

[shira]

University of Manitoba Students Union ignores legal advice, votes to strip anti-Israel group of official club status


In what B’nai Brith called a “precedent setting move,” the University of Manitoba Students Union voted Thursday to strip the group Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) of official club status. The motion bars SAIA from receiving student union funding or using activity space in student-union controlled buildings.

The motion was adopted despite an opinion by the student union’s lawyer, who argued that it could leave the union open to litigation. “However, council disagreed with the advice provided by our legal counsel and voted by 19 to 15 to support the resolution,” said Bilan Arte, president of the students union.

SAIA, a group with campus branches across Canada, annually organizes Israeli Apartheid Week, a weeklong series of events calling for economic, diplomatic and even academic sanctions against the Jewish state.

The two-page resolution justified the delisting of SAIA under the terms of the Manitoba Human Rights Code, claiming that the group was guilty of “discrimination” and “harassment.”

more...
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/04/12/university-of-manitoba-students-union-students-against-israeli-apartheid/

[shaayecanaan]

1. It certainly does set a precedent

There are two other groups that spring to mind:-

http://umsu.ca/component/listings/?task=details&id=541&Itemid=0

UMSCL is a pro-life student group that upholds and defends the sanctity of human life from conception to a natural death. We achieve this through informative, dynamic, and respectful activities. We encourage everyone with a concrete stance supporting the dignity of human life to join us in promoting a culture of life within our community.

There is also the Student League for Human Rights, which hosts "Israel week", which was intended as a counter to "Israel Apartheid Week":-

Student League for Human Rights is the campus student component of B'nai Brith Canada League for Human Rights which is an organization founded upon the principles of equality, tolerance, and justice for all. It is an organization which challenges racism and bigotry through education, intercultural and inter-community relations nationally and internationally.

http://umsu.ca/component/listings/?task=details&id=636&Itemid=0

[Dick Dastardly]

2. I don't agree with this.

SAIA may be a bunch of sphincter holes but let them speak their nonsense along with all the other sphincter holes. Once you start picking and choosing what speech is acceptable or not you start down a slippery slope with no clear end. How about restricting communists, fascists, socialists, right wing, left wing, conservatives, progressives, liberals, republicans, democrats, pro life, pro choice or any of the many other groups out there, where do you stop? Who chooses? I always choose to err on the side of free speech and free exchange of ideas even if some of those ideas make me want to puke.

While for example Nazi type groups make me want to puke, even they should be free to speak their ideas. Hiding them wont make them go away and actually helps them, but letting them speak their ideas exposes them, makes it easier for people to call them out and makes it harder for them to hide the truth about what they represent. Let ideas stand or fall on their own. I don't agree with Europe and other countries whose governments ban speech by Nazis or other groups and much prefer how we handle it in the US which is to let them speak and expose themselves

While this op story is not government censorship or government banning free speech as they are a private/NGO and can decide what is acceptable in their facilities, the fact is they are a university which is an organization based on learning and free exchange of ideas. As such they should be zealous in protecting free speech and free exchange of ideas.

[shira]

3. There's a White Student Union at Towson St. U. attempting....

...to receive official club status that would (presumably) allow them to receive student union funding and activity space in student-union controlled buildings in at Towson State:

http://towsonwsu.blogspot.com

So far as I can tell, they aren't official yet as they're having problems being recognized.

Do you think this White Student Union should receive official club status? I don't think they should. That doesn't mean they don't have freedom of speech, assembly, etc.

[shaayecanaan]

5. I can't think of any legal ground on which to deny them, frankly...

I briefly attended an Arab student group that had club status when I was at university. It was mainly a social forum. I think there were rules against using funding to buy alcohol, otherwise anything goes.

I recall there being quite a bit of general resentment amongst non-activist students (representing 99% of the student population) that they had to pay several hundred dollars at the start of the year to subsidise what was frankly a gravy train for people that wanted to go horseback riding or whatever.

I tend to agree with them frankly. Alternatively, if white students want to have a subsidised barbecue cookout I can't think of any reason to deny them. If people want to go scuba diving, or lobby for Israel or Palestine then they can pay for it themselves.

[MrBig]

4. I agree with you in theory

But in this case, I'd say that their free speech rights are not being deprived, but rather their funding is being eliminated. Eliminating funding still gives the group the right to have their say and maintain the purpose.