Concordia a hot bed of activisim
MONTREAL (CP) - Concordia University was described by some observers Tuesday as an island of hot-blooded activism, a day after a violent protest blocked a speech by former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Student advocates and an historian said Monday's protest by Palestinian activists, and subsequent clashes with police are a stark contrast to more docile activism practised on most other Canadian campuses. McGill University history professor Desmond Morton said Tuesday that Concordia's multi-ethnic makeup and heavy concentration of international students make for an often-volatile mix. "Its downtown campus attracts the kind of people who are looking for something very exciting and something to achieve some profile," said Morton. "Its violence, its radicalism is not that great but it's a place where you can go and do something more often than at McGill." Concordia officials cancelled Netanyahu's speech Monday afternoon after scores of people demonstrating in support of Palestinians broke down a security barrier and occupied a downtown building where he was scheduled to give a speech. Police met activists with batons and pepper spray, arresting five people after several windows were smashed. Protesters had vowed as early as Sunday to prevent the hawkish former prime minister from speaking at the university. The university said it may expel students found to have been involved in Monday's violence. Anya Spethman, president of the Canadian University Press, said Tuesday that Concordia is one of the few Canadian universities where 1960s-style confrontational activism is alive and well. "There's really not a lot of activist campuses out there any more," said Spethman, whose Toronto-based association represents 65 university and college student newspapers. "I think many people are just worrying about trying to pay for the cost of education. "It's really sort of put a damper on it." Others said most Canadian students have simply opted to fight for their causes without using violence. Larissa Ashdown, president of the University of Winnipeg Student's Association, said her group has decided to use debate and discussion to get its point across. "Usually I think protests and demonstrations are more geared toward informing the public or lobbying the government," Ashdown said in an interview. "Definitely (violence) is largely still a thing of the '60s." Monday's skirmishes at Concordia were only the latest in a long history of in-your-face politics at the university. In 1969, protesters set fire to a ninth-floor computer lab at Concordia's predecessor, Sir George Williams University, causing $2.5 million in damages. The violence erupted after black students alleged a white student received a much higher grade on an assignment, compared to a black student who handed in virtually the same paper. Also on Tuesday, the Concordia Student Union demanded rector Frederick Lowy resign, in part because of what it called ineffective security measures at Monday's demonstration. The group also decried a moratorium imposed by Lowy on all Middle East-related events at the university. "We hold Concordia University administration directly responsible for (Monday's) events," student union president Sabine Friesinger told a news conference. Lowy had no comment Tuesday. The moratorium at Concordia bans public speeches, rallies, exhibits and information tables related to Middle East issues. The moratorium will remain in place until a permanent policy is drafted to ease tensions between Israeli and Palestinian supporters at Concordia. A university spokeswoman dismissed the calls for the rector to quit, saying the university did all it could to prevent violence.