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Criminal – er – Concordia Student Union update

The CSU is now planning a protest in support – yes, support – of the 12 students arrested and charged in connection with the September 9th riots against Benjamin Netanyahu.

Apparently, it’s not enough for the CSU to use student money to pay the legal fees of those arrested. Now Yves Engler, VP Communications of the CSU, wants students to come out and demonstrate their support for these same students.

This is a call to all those who protested in support of human rights and dignity, on September 9th, 2002.

Currently, there are 12 students who are being scapegoated in the university’s ongoing facade, in their attempt to avoid its own culpability in the events of September 9th. None of the students currently charged were in fact violent. The university is simply trying to show to its many lobbies that they are punishing ‘those responsible’, by identifying a select few of those who were present on the escalators, and by alleging that their protest inside their own school somehow constitutes ‘illegal assembly’.

[ . . . ]

According to Rector Lowy, all those who were present on the escalators are deemed worthy of punishment. Therefore, all of us who were present will identify ourselves to show that we are not ashamed in having participated in a demonstration, inside our own university, against one of the world’s most racist and violent men, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu.

What, Mr. Engler, one riot a year wasn’t enough for you?

Note the twisted logic that is being used here. The CSU and the SPHR have been on a campaign these past couple of months to try and downplay the riot, claiming that it wasn’t a riot after all, just a case of a few individuals making mischief. This disgusting revision of not-so-distant history has been going on for a while over at the Link’s website. They’re also trying to make the claim that this wasn’t the case of anti-Israel demonstrators rioting in a racist, hateful manner, but the case of “two groups facing off” – thus implying that the victims of the riot were just as guilty as the instigators.

Then, the CSU tries to blame the administration for “unfairly persecuting” those arrested. Never mind that arrests were only made after careful and exhaustive revision of video footage and accounts from the day. But in CSU lingo, anyone arrested is being “unfairly” persecuted by the “brutal” police.

Then, Engler tries to justify the riots by vilifying Netanyahu.

We’ve heard this before. It’s the same old song and dance. And I can’t say I’m surprised at the CSU. Disgusted, yes, but not particularly surprised. I just want to add one thing, though: if these people are so clearly and obviously lying about what happened here, in our own city, just a few months ago, why should anyone take their word on anything they say about events taking place elsewhere?

Anyone involved in the disgusting riot of September 9th ought to be ashamed, and punished. The fact that Mr. Engler and his CSU cohorts are proud of what happens should tell you all you need to know about what kind of people they are.

{ 2 comments… add one }
  • Stuart Rothman 01.17.03, 4:51 PM

    Sounds like Engler is ticked that only SOME of the students sitting on the elevators are being charged with illegal assembly. I have no problem with charging all those who breached security, occupied the elevators/mezzanine, and created a very dangerous situation for everybody in the building.

  • Peter 01.18.03, 7:40 AM

    Again we find the strategy of the more hyperbolic and hysterical critics of Israel. Simply call Israel racist and anyone who defends her racist.

    This violent Natanyahu actually was well on in a business career when his brother Yonatan was killed rescuing Jews in Entebbe. Then he moved into politics. As Prime Minister the racist Netanyahu came to the defense of the Muslim religion when a Jewish girl hung a poster comparing Islam to a pig. (BTW, the young woman served jail time as a result.)

    The violent Natanyahu responded with restraint when PA policemen began firing at IDF soldiers after the opening of the tunnel in Jerusalem. He then met with Arafat two days later at the White House to defuse the situation. (The purpose of this tunnel was to facilitate the movement of tourists from the Jewish section to the Arab section of old city.)

    Natanyahu also made far reaching concessions to Arafat at the Wye River accords – concessions that what followed by a spate of terror attacks.

    If Yves Engler does in fact think that Mr. Netanyahu is “one of the world’s most racist and violent men”, then what does that make Mr. Engler and the rest of the thugs in the CSU and SPHR?

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