Gaslight, deny, repeat

Concordians Against Tribunals explains University’s playbook for silencing student demands

OpinionsConcordians Against Tribunals — Published December 10, 2024 | Updated December 11, 2024 at 9:00am 6 minutes

Statement from Concordians Against Tribunals (CATs)—Nov. 24, 2024 

We will thoroughly debunk the false claims made in the email and we demand accountability from Concordia for its complicity in the ongoing genocide.

"We are calling on all community members and groups — particularly the striking student associations — to denounce violence in all its forms." 

• This is an inflammatory lie: This statement falsely suggests that the student strike is associated with violence. The strike aims to protest institutional violence, not to incite violence. This casts students as aggressors and undermines their legitimate grievances. 
• The strike aims to confront real violence: The university’s brutalization of students and the ongoing genocide of Palestinians, which we are simply asking Concordia to condemn and cut ties with. This email avoids mentioning the reasons for the strike in an attempt to portray it as a random and unreasonable disruption. Students have been making clear, moral demands of Concordia and universities around the world: Disclose, Divest, Defend, Declare. Take a stand against genocide, and while you’re waiting to grow the backbone to do that, at the very least refrain from punishing those who do. 

"[...] students who choose to strike must respect their peers who wish to attend classes. No one will be permitted to prevent others from entering or leaving Concordia buildings or classrooms." 

• This is a misrepresentation of the strike: Striking is not only a constitutional right; it is a deeply rooted practice in Quebec’s history of student activism. The ability to organize and strike has been a fundamental tool for students to challenge injustice and demand change. In fact, enforcing strike mandates has been a standard practice and a celebrated part of Quebec's student movement since the 1960s. Strikes are a collective, democratic expression of students' will and their right to protest institutional policies and practices. 

"Recently, there has been an increase in violence, harassment and intimidation on our campuses." 

• Exaggeration and gaslighting: The university attempts to shift the narrative by alleging that isolated students are being violent and unreasonable when in fact we have seen a huge wave of mobilization across campus and across the world in response to the horrific genocide in Palestine. Concordia’s administration is deliberately distorting the facts to try and make student protests seem dangerous for their simple moral demands. What is actually happening is that the university is escalating tensions and provoking students. The violence they claim to be "increasing" is nothing more than a reaction to their own repressive tactics. The focus should be on the systemic violence the university is supporting, not the peaceful activism that is met with police brutality. 

"Protesters assaulted three Campus Safety and Prevention Services (CSPS) agents during demonstrations on September 25 and October 31." 

•  False framing: The university uses loaded language such as "assaulted" without providing proper context. This serves to criminalize the actions of student protesters and distract from the broader issues of institutional violence. The real question should be: Who is actually initiating violence? The university's security forces, who have a history of escalating confrontations with students, are not innocent parties in this conflict. 

"Additionally, there have been false claims that CSPS agents have initiated confrontations and even chased protesters on campus. In reality, CSPS staff have had to act in the face of increasingly aggressive behaviour." 

• Bold lie: There is widely seen video footage of security forces chasing and tackling student protesters. Concordia callously disregards the lived experiences of students who have faced harassment, intimidation and physical abuse by security forces. By dismissing claims of security provocation as “false,” the university not only flagrantly disrespects the peaceful protesters but also shamelessly undermines the validity of their legitimate grievances. 

Furthermore, even after this email was circulated, security agents repeatedly escalated their aggression, violently engaging with protesters throughout the strike. They were seen throwing students around and shoving them to the ground from behind, as documented in videos by Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance Concordia. A photo taken by journalist William Wilson also shows a CSPS guard putting a protester in a headlock while another lifts the protester’s legs off the ground.

"Any individual found to be helping people or groups gain access to Concordia events, spaces or resources could be held responsible and face disciplinary action and/or criminal prosecution." 

•  Intimidation and threat: This section is nothing but a desperate and cowardly attempt to stifle solidarity. It threatens students with disciplinary action and even criminal prosecution for daring to support their fellow students, professors, protesters or external groups. The message is clear: Stand with the strike, and you risk legal repercussions. This is a calculated move to silence dissent and prevent collective action. 

 This line also threatens the vibrant ways that Concordia, as a downtown campus, is integrated with the broader community. Events including film screenings, art shows and public lectures are held every week at Concordia and we reject the idea that students should be held liable for creating community spaces at school.

"As a community, we must agree that attacks on people and property are simply unacceptable and cannot be tolerated." 

•  False equivalence: The university is conflating peaceful protest with criminal activity by using terms like “attacks on people and property.” This is a deliberate attempt to shift the focus away from the real issue—the university's ties to the violent and oppressive systems of apartheid and war profiteering. The strike is not about violence; it is about demanding justice and holding the university accountable for its role in perpetuating global violence. 

"Concordia has always been a place where we can debate, discuss and explore different, even polarizing, ideas." 

• Contradiction: The university claims to uphold free expression, but it actively suppresses student protest and dissent. If Concordia truly supported open debate and discussion, it would listen to its students’ concerns and engage in dialogue rather than criminalizing its protesters. The university’s actions directly contradict its supposed commitment to fostering a space for diverse opinions. 

Why has Concordia chosen to disavow this strike? 

Concordia’s disavowal of this strike reveals a deeper issue.

The university has chosen to protect its financial interests, its partnerships with war profiteers and its complicity in global systems of oppression over listening to its students. By disavowing the strike, the university attempts to suppress the very democratic action that has been central to student movements across Quebec. Strikes have always been a vehicle for progressive change, and now, as in the past, Concordia seeks to undermine this practice because it threatens its corporate interests. 

Concordia’s hypocrisy is particularly stark given its occupation of unceded Kanien'kehá:ka territory. Just as it ignores student demands for justice in Palestine, it operates without acknowledgment of its complicity in the ongoing colonial systems it benefits from. 

Concordia's communication is nothing more than a blatant attempt to gaslight its own students, twisting the truth and scapegoating us to protect its own corrupt interests. The university refuses to address the real issues at hand—its complicity in violence, its financial ties to colonialism and war profiteers, and its silence in the face of the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. Concordia is not just ignoring our demands; it is actively covering up its role in perpetuating oppression. This is not a misunderstanding—it’s a conscious, malicious effort to silence dissent and preserve the status quo, where profit and political ties come before justice and human lives. 

We see through the lies. What more will it take, Concordia?