It goes without saying that the president of a university student union should be a measured and circumspect person, not a polarizing figure who angers and alienates students, besmirches the university’s image, and generates heated controversy.
Somar Abuaziza, the newly installed president of the York Federation of Students (YFS) at York University in Toronto, has raised legitimate concerns that she is not fit to hold this position. A Palestinian Canadian, she has expressed toxic views that are upsetting to a considerable proportion of York University’s nearly 50,000 students, some of whom are supporters of Israel.
Since October 7, 2023, the day Hamas terrorists attacked a string of Israeli communities and army bases in southern Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 Israelis and foreigners, she has written social media posts and posted images on her Instagram account praising not only this atrocity but Hamas’ leadership as well.
During Hamas’ murderous rampage, the deadliest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, she hailed its atrocities as a celebrated military victory, all the while dismissing reports of civilian massacres and widespread sexual assaults by Palestinian terrorists.
Three days after Hamas’ invasion, she posted pictures of herself at a Palestinian rally in downtown Toronto, a keffiyeh and Covid-19 mask obscuring her face.
In addition, she shared vile videos that dismissed mass murder: “It needs to be understood that there’s no such thing as innocent civilians under the context of settler colonialism,” one video claimed. “Do not let western media call this terrorism. This is DECOLONIZATION.”
Last October, following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, she posted this message: “Lived a hero and died a hero.” And fervently adopting Hamas’ talking points, she added, “We remain faithful to your pledge. May Allah have mercy on you and grant you the highest place in paradise with the prophets. And it is a jihad of victory or martyrdom.”
In January, she shared posts endorsing the slogan “liberation from the River to the Sea with Al Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of Palestine” and supporting “armed resistance.”
Last summer, Abuaziza congratulated the Houthis — a rebel group in northern Yemen aligned with Hamas and Iran — for having fired a missile at Tel Aviv which damaged an apartment building and killed a middle-aged man. She issued this provocative message in the full knowledge that the Houthis have been designated as a terrorist organization by Canada, the United States and other Western nations.
Abuaziza’s political opinions definitely classify her as an extremist.
She opposes a two-state solution to resolve Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. She fully supports Hamas’ radical platform, which calls for Israel’s destruction and its replacement by an Islamic fundamentalist state in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
By any yardstick, she is a rejectionist in the mold of Palestinian radicals who dismiss compromise out of hand.
It is no coincidence that her personal biography supposedly features an inverted red triangle, a symbol used by Hamas to denote an enemy.
To no one’s surprise, Abuaziza’s views have set off alarm bells.
“It is deeply concerning that someone with a history of publicly supporting terrorism and celebrating the massacre of innocent Israelis could be elected president of the York Federation of Students,” Michelle Stock, Ontario vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), told The National Post a few days ago.
“While York University has acknowledged the threats posed by YFS — taking legal action after the union posted a disturbing message celebrating the October 7 attacks — Abuaziza’s position on the student union shows that existing policies are inadequate to prevent those promoting hate and sowing division from exerting their influence on campus. Canadian universities and governments must work together to implement stronger measures that ensure the safety and well-being of all on campus.”
Abuaziza, in her defence, has asked the university to dismiss “all claims against me as they are not only harmful, but rooted in anti-Palestinian racism.”
“My social media posts are critical of the government actions and conduct of the state of Israel,” she went on in this vein in a three-page letter responding to a recent student complaint. “This is distinct from targeting members of the Jewish community. Statements against Zionism are not inherently antisemitic. Opposition to Zionism is a legitimate political opinion shared by people across diverse groups.
“This complaint is rooted in racism and is a clear attempt to intimidate a loud and proud Palestinian student fighting for the liberation of her people against Zionism and violent colonialism.”
She doth protest too much.
First, opposition to her presidency has nothing to do with her ethnicity as a Palestinian.
Second, Israel is not a foreign implant, as she strongly suggests. The Jewish people exercised sovereignty in their ancestral homeland long before the advent of Islam and Palestinian consciousness. Their connection to this land transcends politics, and is steeped in history, culture, language and religion.
Third, Abuaziza’s call for Israel’s elimination is thus a form of insidious antisemitism. By calling for the erasure of an internationally recognized country, the world’s sole Jewish state, Abuaziza and her backers implicitly endorse genocide, a patently false accusation they constantly hurl at Israel.
To be sure, the Palestinians are entitled to statehood in the West Bank and Gaza, but not at Israel’s expense. When conditions in the region are ripe, a Palestinian state should be established within the framework of a comprehensive peace agreement that offers Israel iron-clad security guarantees.
York University, having previously reprimanded Abuaziza for her incendiary statements, should not tolerate a situation whereby a person like her represents its student body. This is not an issue about free speech, but about the unsuitability of a student union president.
Abuaziza’s presidency is a blatant affront to many students and should be cancelled as soon as possible. The students of York University, Canada’s third largest institution of higher learning. deserve a far more suitable president to represent their values and views.
She should be replaced as soon as possible.