Action Alert: Sign the Petition to Support Academic Freedom and Reject Boycott of Israeli Institutions at University of Windsor
- Mark Sandler
- Oct 16, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 21, 2024
As you know, the University of Windsor‘s administration entered into unconscionable agreements with occupiers and the students’ alliance that, among other things, imposed a boycott on partnerships with Israeli universities.
One of the members of the Board of Governors has brought a motion before the entire Board to pause the implementation of these agreements, pending Board review. It is critically important that we all support this motion. Accordingly, we have prepared a petition, largely based on Network of Engaged Canadian Academics (NECA)’s work, to support the motion and at the same time to address a counterpetition that has already attracted many signatures and which supports the agreements entered into, attacking pro-Israel organizations seeking to set the agreements aside.
But this isn’t about imposing pro-Israeli views on anyone. It is about academic freedom, research integrity, institutional neutrality, and confronting a distorted narrative.
Accordingly, we are asking that you sign our petition and secure as many signatures as possible to it through your networks, platforms, websites, members (where applicable).
The petition has to be completed within the next week since the matter will be before the Board of Governors on October 22.
Our petition also includes links to some relevant background materials. (see also this Windsor Star article)
You are also at liberty to write to the Board of Governors separately at bog@uwindsor.ca. Indicate, if acceptable, that your letter should be distributed to all Board members and can be publicly referred to.
We appreciate your understanding as this all came together very quickly, with limited notice, due to the urgency of the situation. Thank you for your assistance on this critically important matter.
About the Author
Mark Sandler, LL.B., LL.D. (honoris causa), ALCCA’s Chair, is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading criminal lawyers and pro bono advocates. He has been involved in combatting antisemitism for over 40 years. He has lectured extensively on legal remedies to combat hate and has promoted respectful Muslim-Jewish, Sikh-Jewish and Black-Jewish dialogues. He has appeared before Parliamentary committees and in the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions on issues relating to antisemitism and hate activities. He is a former member of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, a three-time elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, and recipient of the criminal profession’s highest honour, the G. Arthur Martin Medal, for his contributions to the administration of criminal justice.