Commemoration on the two-year anniversary of October 7 attacks provoked praise and criticism
On October 6 at 7:08 pm, Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, and former Education Minister, Stephen Lecce, reacted to an Instagram post shared by the UTMSU, the Muslim Students Association (MSA), and the Association of Palestinian Students (APS). The post was promoting an upcoming student commemoration, “Honouring Our Martyrs,” for Palestinian casualties since the October 7 attacks two years prior.
Lecce’s reaction on X criticizes the commemoration, writing that it is “appalling to think that this morally degenerate group will glorify the barbaric murder of 1,200 kids, mothers, fathers, and grandparents. This hateful, anti-semitic, and anti-democratic mob should be condemned and banned from any campus.”
Later on October 7, the MSA released a statement on Instagram, which states that Lecce’s words are “defamatory and completely false,” and that the Association is “in consultation with legal counsel” and “will take necessary steps to defend [themselves] against [Lecce’s] defamatory allegations.”
At 3:00 pm on October 7, the UTMSU, MSA, and APS together hosted “Honouring Our Martyrs”, a student gathering outside of UTM’s Student Center to “commemorate two years of genocide in Palestine.”
UTMSU flyers were posted on the day with community guidelines, which read that all participants are encouraged to adhere to the union’s code of conduct and “to ensure a peaceful, respectful, and safe environment for everyone present.”
The commemoration began with a land acknowledgement and an equity statement by the UTMSU, followed by several speeches from guest speakers from the APS.
UTMSU’s President Andrew Park said, “We gather to remember the martyrs of Gaza; the mothers, their children, doctors, teachers, the students — who, just like us, have been murdered.” Referring to the scale of destruction in Gaza as a result of the “Zionist Occupation,” Park continued: “Every school, every library, every space of knowledge and hope have been reduced to rubble.” (more...)
UTMSU “Honouring Our Martyrs” commemoration called “hateful” by Stephen Lecce
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