McGill's Mid-East mayhem

>>

by Craig Segal

Just when you thought university controversies had gone the way of baggy cargo pants, a Middle-East hornets' nest has burst open at McGill.

A pro-Palestinian human rights group is alleging racist treatment from university administration and the student society. "The university is hitting on some groups like SPHR (Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights) and the Muslim Students' Association and they are trying to change their policy regarding our activities," says Ahmed Abu-Safia, president of SPHR McGill.

Trouble bubbled at McGill over a lecture last Wednesday, titled Israel the Racist State, featuring Israel Shamir, a Russian-Israeli writer and journalist. The lecture went ahead, pulling in 350-400 people. Now the student society refuses to fork over the $1,200 they had agreed to give the SPHR to partially fund the event. "They refused funding because it was an 'inflammatory event,'" says Abu-Safia. "They pick certain people as being inflammatory and others are not inflammatory." Abu-Safia says the student society is now considering censoring his organization.

The student union blames the SPHR for not fully describing the lecture from the outset. "We had decided to fund the lecture and then found out a lot of information that questioned Israel Shamir," says Martin Doe, VP Clubs and Services. Doe says SPHR also did not show up at a scheduled meeting about the lecture. "I'm not going to deny that we had out own moral reservations with the lecture, but their not showing up would be grounds enough to withhold that funding."