Communist-Islamic activist who linked Israel to killing of George Floyd, invited guest speaker at St. Thomas U, Fredricton New Brunswick [Guest post]

Tariq Ali, a well known political activist who identifies as British, has been invited to speak at the University of St. Thomas in the Canadian Atlantic province of New Brunswick.

Ali claims to have written 50 books on history.

Here are a couple of Ali’s on the record statements:

in May 2016 Mr. Ali is reported as having stated that “…the annihilation of Israel would greatly benefit both Palestinians and Israelis…” and that “…antisemitism is a result of the creation of a Jewish state, and once Israel is wiped off the map, antisemitism will disappear

University of London Panel Calls for Annihilation of Israel as Solution to Global Antisemitism

• on October 7, 2023, the very day of the murderous Hamas pogrom against Israel that resulted in largest one-day death toll of Jews since the Holocaust, Mr. Ali published an essay which makes clear his support for  Hamas and the concept of resistance “by any means necessary”. Hamas has been a designated terrorist entity under Canadian law since 2002. The phrase “by any means necessary” is simply code justifying the unspeakable atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7^th – please also see this link.
• Accordingly, and with respect, I fail to see how Mr. Ali speaking on campus achieves what you describe as the University’s “…unique role in fostering informed debate and discussion offering differing perspectives.”

A “perspective” from an outspoken supporter of a recognized terrorist entity under Canadian law calling for the annihilation of Israel and suggesting that antisemitism has somehow only existed since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 will only serve to inflame and divide, rather than to educate and inform. The result will be to make the St. Thomas campus (as well as the UNB campus) an unsafe and unwelcoming space for Jewish students, staff, and faculty and many other people, and may also impact the Fredericton Jewish community at large.

Accordingly, we are deeply disappointed that the lecture will proceed. That said, we expect that the University and the AHRC will put vigorous safeguards in place to ensure the safety of those who may attend the lecture and question Mr. Ali, as well as mechanisms to monitor antisemitism on campus after the lecture. Based on my personal experience at the Dr. Yossi Olmert lecture at STU in March 2009, as well as at innumerable events across Atlantic Canada since that time, pro-Israel speakers consistently face unchecked (and often extreme) hostility and aggression from anti-Israel activists when expressing their opinion on the Israel-Palestinian conflict – which is entirely contrary to the notion of academic freedoms and informed debate and discussion we aspire to.