A pro-Palestinian student in a WhatsApp group at Concordia University threatened, ‘I’ll smash your skull on the floor…I can kill you – try me.”
By Rachel Avraham
Arutz Sheva recently reported that a Jewish student from Concordia University in Montreal was recently forced to transfer to a university in the United States, after he received death threats on campus. According to the report, a student in a WhatsApp group threatened, ‘I’ll smash your skull on the floor…I can kill you – try me.” The student was targeted for anti-Semitic reasons. The attacking student accused him of “committing genocide in Gaza.”
When the Jewish student said, “Should I be ashamed of my heritage,” the anti-Semitic student responded, “’Heritage? You stole land from another people. If that’s your heritage, then yes, you should be ashamed of it. You support genocide. So I understand that you won’t mind bombing me like Israelis don’t mind.” Immediately afterwards, the Jewish students family told him to come home to the United States and transfer to an American academic institution. Concordia University subsequently suspended the student who made the anti-Semitic death threats.
This is not the first time that anti-Semitism has plagued Concordia University in Montreal. The Concordian reported that four students and two student groups, Hillel Concordia and Start Up Nation Montreal, are presently filing a lawsuit against the university due to their poor reaction to anti-Semitism on campus, alleging that the university permits individuals and groups to intimidate them freely and enforces its codes of conduct selectively and arbitrarily. “[Concordia] appears to overlook these standards when addressing groups like [the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) Concordia, Independent Jewish Voices Canada Inc. (IJV), Bara Iyad Abuhamed], and others deemed problematic on Campus while holding Plaintiffs to a different standard,” states the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs claim that Concordia University has “tolerated and supported an environment where hate and intolerance have flourished and been normalized on campus.” For example, SPHR Concordia posted on Instagram after October 7, “Last night, the resistance in Gaza led a heroic attack against the occupation and has taken over 30 hostages [sic] including Brigadier General [Nimrod] Aloni,” read the post. “Their march toward liberation is as monumental as their rockets — the resistance will free the prisoners who have been facing a fascist attack by the occupation and liberate our land from the fangs of the enemy.” Haaretz reported that after October 7, pro-Palestinian students at Concordia University even distributed candies in celebration.
In a press conference last May, Concordia University student Anastasia Zorchinsky, the president and founder of The Start Up Nation Montreal and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, mentioned “waking up one morning with an Instagram comment saying ‘Anastasia, we will find you on campus,’ and on the same day, proceed to be accosted by a group of five pro-Palestinian men during [her] lunch break on campus.”
Hillel Concordia stated in a recent press release put out by Federation CJA, ““Since October 7th we have seen a spike in incidents of hate, incitement to violence and antisemitism on campus. Hillel Concordia, along with Federation CJA and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) have continuously reached out to the university administration to hold those responsible accountable with the administration. Those who seek to incite hatred, intimidate and ostracize Jewish students on campus, must face consequences. Concordia has a Code of Rights and Responsibilities which has recently been updated to include specific behaviors that are prohibited on its campus. Concordia must implement and enforce this Code.”
They added, “Freedom of expression is not a free pass to antisemitism, hateful speech, intimidation, discrimination and incitement to violence. Concordia must act to ensure that all students, Jewish and non-Jewish, are protected and feel safe on campus. Holding violators accountable sends a strong message about behavior that is not welcome nor tolerated on campus.”
Start Up Nation Montreal added, “The intimidation and violence experienced by Jewish students at the university has had a profound impact on feelings of safety and inclusivity on campus. This injunction is the next logical step to guarantee that all students, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, can study and learn in peace, and that the university is not hijacked by radicals who impose an antisemitic climate on our campus.”
“Despite our repeated meetings with administration, we saw too many incidents of hateful, aggressive, and violent behavior, which have severely compromised our safety, eroded inclusivity, and disrupted students’ academic experiences. We saw accommodations being offered to anarchists and radicals, which has created an environment that is toxic for all students, Jews and non-Jews alike. The Start Up Nation sees the injunction as a necessary step as a new academic year begins. Concordia needs to act and must use its already available tools to ensure that all students are safe and secure on campus.”
Last May, the Montreal Gazette reported that Canadian Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said pro-Palestinian protesters at university encampments in Canada have been heard chanting: “Go back to Poland,” “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want no Zionist here,” and “Intifada, revolution — from the river to the sea.” He asked the president of Concordia University if he found this anti-Semitic. Concordia President Graham Carr said: “They’re reprehensible and intimidating when chanted on campus.” However, many Jewish students claim he has failed to act on such sentiment.
Haaretz reported that according to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs “have suffered physical, psychological, and academic harm due to Graham Carr’s and Concordia’s negligence, breach of contract, and violation of the student plaintiffs’ fundamental rights.” That was during the 2023-2024 school year, but the plaintiffs noted in September 2024 that things were getting worse this school year.
More recently, last November, after the lawsuit was already in motion, Concordia University even mentioned itself in a press release that on November 21, “during student strike activities, a demonstrator made the Nazi salute and referenced the “final solution” in front of a group of counter protesters on the corner of Mackay and De Maisonneuve streets.” That incident was condemned by the university: “These despicable words and gestures, which were clearly intended to intimidate members of our community, are completely unacceptable. We will not tolerate hate speech on our campuses.” But that was not enough to deter the haters. For now, a Jewish student was forced to transfer schools, after facing a death threat and the offending student was suspended, not expelled.
