CSU passes motion condemning oppression by Iranian regime
The student union retracted its previous statement on Iran with a new one set to be drafted
The Concordia Student Union (CSU) voted on a motion that would formally call on the union to condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran’s violent actions towards Iranian civilians in recent weeks.
The motion was read by councillor Anastasia Zorchinsky at a special council meeting on Jan. 15. It was put forward by a member of the public in attendance at the meeting.
“I think this motion can help a lot of [Iranian] students, specifically psychologically and emotionally, during this very hard time,” said the member of the public, who identified themselves as an Iranian student at Concordia University.
The “Motion to condemn systemic oppression by the Iranian Regime and its clerical leadership” detailed the numerous atrocities being committed by the Iranian government. It states that “the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to systematically violate fundamental human rights, including freedoms of expression, religion, gender equality, bodily autonomy, academic freedom and peaceful assembly.”
The motion equally outlined a series of commitments for the CSU to fulfil should the motion pass, such as calling for the union to “explicitly denounce the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a central arm of state repression” and to “reaffirm its solidarity with all individuals resisting the Iranian regime’s violent authoritarianism.”
During the meeting, concerns arose from members of the public regarding a now-deleted statement published on the CSU’s official Instagram account on Jan. 14.
The now-deleted post had affirmed the CSU’s support for the Iranian people and criticized the Iranian government. Some attendees said they believed this statement was problematic, as it did not explicitly name the IRGC nor recognize a need for external support in Iran to combat the government.
“To put that statement out there and to say that the future of Iran must be shaped by its people alone [is inaccurate],” said another Iranian student in attendance at the meeting. “If people are requesting help, they are asking for the help of military intervention [...] because they cannot go empty-handed against machine guns.”
Following this discussion, a friendly amendment was made to the motion to include the removal of this Instagram statement and the publishing of a new statement.
The new statement is to be drafted by and with the student motion presenter and other Iranian students present at the meeting, to “ensure consistency, accuracy and accountability in the CSU’s public communications.”
The motion passed with 10 councillors voting for, zero voting against and five abstaining. The meeting adjourned at 9:04 p.m.
