Autonomous students vandalize Concordia’s Azrieli Institute
Student action against the university continues
In the evening of April 10, autonomous students targeted the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies, located in the ER Building of Concordia University on Guy St. The institute’s doors were spray-painted with the message “Genocide institute,” and a window was broken.
By the morning of April 11, the graffiti was erased and the window boarded up.
The incident was first commented on by Students for Palestine's Honour and Resistance (SPHR) Concordia, who claimed that the students “will never abandon Palestine.”
In a post on Instagram, SPHR stated that “students are growing more and more impatient with the Concordia administration, as we have all been demanding that Concordia ends its complicity with zionism.”
According to Concordia’s website, the Azrieli Institute was founded in 2011 to support “the advancement of Israel Studies through educational programs, publications, and financial support for students and faculty.”
The institute has come under fire for years due to allegations of encouraging the “touring of colonized areas and the sanitization of apartheid with a university that collaborates with the Israeli army to develop weapon technology,” according to a letter written by Concordia alumni.
An SPHR representative, who was granted anonymity for safety reasons, said that the escalation in pressure tactics is to be expected from students.
“The administration’s response to these demonstrations has been repressive; it’s only natural for the students to escalate and grow because it’s constantly giving another reason for students to mobilize, on top of the very just cause, which is Palestine and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions,” they said.
The SPHR representative further justified students’ dissatisfaction with the administration and the institute.
“This year has been filled with victories and successes for the movement and has been terribly scandalous for the administration, whether it’s their more exposed complicity or their hiring of mercenaries to beat up their own students,” they said. “The only approval this administration should worry about is that of their students.”
They continued, stating that Concordia’s administration needs to act in good faith towards student demands and stop its administration’s complicity in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
A statement from Concordia president Graham Carr condemned the attack and stated that the incident was being investigated by the SPVM. He stated that violence and hate had no place in the university.
“I ask the university community to join me in addressing [deeply polarizing challenges] peacefully. Together, we must actively model respect and compassion for all who are suffering, and we must commit to keeping Concordia safe and welcoming for everyone,” his statement read.
