From Sept. 27-29, a conference set to be held in the heart of Montreal will feature speakers who have a history of homophobic, antisemitic and racist comments. Its emblematic figures include cop-killers, terrorists and extremists known for promoting divisive and hateful ideologies. Beneath the conference’s rhetoric of “decolonization” lies a familiar, odious hatred.
Since October 7, together with our partners at Federation CJA, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) has sounded the alarm about an unprecedented rise in antisemitism. From chants calling to “blow up the heads of Zionists,” to shootings at schools and intimidation in classrooms and on university campuses, the situation is critical.
Now, as students return to campus, this hatred takes on a new, increasingly familiar form, manifesting under the guise of a pseudo-intellectualism that seeks to legitimize anti-Jewish sentiment within our universities.
The Bandung du Nord conference, to be hosted at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), is one such example. The event has already sparked outrage in the francophone media and earned a notorious reputation in Europe.
At a previous edition held outside Paris, one speaker was criticized for views that “slide towards antisemitism and Holocaust denial.” The speaker also promoted dialogue with Osama bin Laden and is associated with an advocate calling for the establishment of an Islamic state in Belgium.
Despite the Jewish community’s objections and broader public outcry, UQAM insists on allowing the conference to go forward on its property. While the university claims it reserves the right to cancel the event at any time, its decision to provide a platform for this extremist gathering lends implicit credibility to hateful ideologies. UQAM must not allow itself to become a safe haven for hateful groups or individuals.
One such problematic panellist — who regularly spews racist, antisemitic and homophobic remarks — is Houria Bouteldja, a former spokesperson for Indigènes de la République, a small France-based organization with ties to groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
She openly supports religious sexism and categorizes Jewish self-determination as European colonialism while denying antisemitism exists beyond Europe. She does not stop at targeting the Jewish community, having also made controversial statements against LGTBQ+ rights, describing the cause as “homonationalism.”
Another speaker at the conference, Columbia University professor Joseph Massad, described the terrorist attacks on October 7 as “awesome.” The widely denounced professor is notorious for categorizing the barbaric terrorist attacks targeting civilians, including women and children, as a “battle against their cruel colonizers.” He refers to Israelis, within Israel proper, as “settlers,” while portraying terrorism against civilians as acts of “resistance.”
Joining Massad at the conference is Omar Barghouti, a founder of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which was condemned by a motion passed by the House of Commons in 2016. Barghouti opposes the existence of a Jewish state in any part of the region, rejects any two-state solution and dismisses the historical indigeneity of the Jewish people to Israel.
Most shockingly, the conference honours several “patrons,” who it claims “symbolize the condition of non-white men in the West,” including individuals convicted of murdering American and Israeli officials, FBI agents and a Philadelphia police officer.
While universities should be centres of rigorous debate, UQAM, like any institution, is not obligated to allow its facilities to be used for gatherings that contravene its values by glorifying violent actors.
McGill is facing a similar challenge with its Muslim Alumni Society hosting an event headlined by Sana Saeed, a notorious Al-Jazeera personality with a history of statements supporting terrorists, including praising a Hamas attack as “incredible.”
These are not academic events — they are assemblies rooted in vitriol and hate. Universities have a duty to provide safe and inclusive campuses for all their faculty, staff and students. Both must stand against hate and refuse to allow their facilities and reputations to be used to ascribe quasi-legitimacy to these events.
As we know, antisemitism is the canary in the coal mine — what starts with Jew-hatred never ends there. We must fight to protect freedom of expression while understanding that these institutions are under no obligation to provide a platform for hate.
The Bandung du Nord conference promotes division and the destruction of democratic societies. By providing a platform for this gathering, UQAM is essentially giving it a pass and allowing its campus to be a hotbed for a hatred that threatens the foundation of our democratic society and social cohesion.
Universities — and all of us — must remain vigilant. The preservation of our society depends on it.
National Post
Eta Yudin is vice-president (Quebec) of CIJA. Yair Szlak is president and CEO of Federation CJA.