Ghost of a flea

Universities have a duty to protect their students and property.

Whereas Muslim university student associations and their left-wing non-Muslim cohorts have, in their past anti-Israel protests and rallies, demonstrated potential for a hostile mob mentality that can and has broken into violence that puts other students and university property at risk, there is no such demonstrated risk to universities from Jewish or Christian students when they advocate their views.

It takes no imagination to foresee that if universities were to cancel the IAW event on the basis that it has in past sometimes descended into violence and often descended into an event rife with anti-semitism, which goes way beyond the bounds of free speech, the certain protest by Muslim and non-Muslim organizers, would have a serious potential for violence that would imperil both the students and the university.

Universities cannot in good conscience ignore that threat to both students, property and peace and harmony on campus.

No matter how much universities like York might strain to rationalize and justify allowing IAW events to proceed under the mantra of freedom of speech and to deny a coalition of Jews and Christians holding a pro-Israel event on campus, due to security concerns, the major unarticulated premise to York’s and other universities’ thinking in similar instances is the aforesaid fear of credible threats, made or anticipated to the safety and security of both students and campus.