Numerous students from Wilfrid Laurier University as well as the University of Waterloo gathered Thursday Mar. 31 in the Solarium for โBehind the Apartheid Wallโ.
Organizers said the gathering was triggered in part by articles appearing in The Cord surrounding the annual Israeli Apartheid Week in early March. While years past have featured visible gatherings at Laurier, this year featured events held mostly at the University of Waterloo.
This weekโs event included a talk by Laurier sociology professor Peter Eglin and a performance by local slam poet Timaj Garad.
Those approached for comment said that the event was organized not by a particular group but simply by interested students. โWeโre just a group of students who were concerned about the lack of knowledge about the situation in Palestine,โ Fatima Attia said. โWe wanted to show that we still care and weโre very involved and speaking on behalf of the Palestinian people who canโt speak for themselves.โ
โWe realize there is a need for events like this to promote awareness of the realities of the situation.โ
Eglin, a professor at Laurier since the 1970s, has drawn fire in the past for speaking on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, often in the Concourse โ impromptu gatherings that culminated in confrontations with Laurierโs Jewish Studentsโ Association in Jan. 2009.
Eglin spoke on the question of relevance of the term โapartheidโ to the Palestinian situation in Israel. Providing some background, he outlined the arguments for the use of the term, citing the findings of a South African study into whether the term was appropriate in the Israeli-Palestinian context.
During questions, Eglin noted the Latin motto of Wilfrid Laurier University, Veritas Omnia Vincit or โtruth conquers all.โ โItโs incumbent on me as it is on every other faculty member and student to not tolerate perversion of the truth,โ he said. โThere is no issue in this world about which there is so much systematic lying than this one.โ
โIโm no model to follow, I just get outraged when I see perversions of the truth and perversions of human decency that have been going on for such a long time,โ Eglin said, responding to a question from the audience. โItโs nauseating to hear the efforts to divert peopleโs attention from the crimes.โ
Student Gina Kish addressed the crowd after Eglin, noting that there had been some conversation directly ahead of the event between those representing both Israeli and Palestinian interests. โWhen we got here today, I noticed that there was a lot of dialogue, a lot of engaging with each other about issues and I just hope that itโs a sign of how things are developing on this campus,โ she said.
โThat hasnโt happened like that ever and I just hope it keeps going in that direction instead of confrontational and people attacking each other.โ