Free speech is great. It is a principle that most people claim to support, but sometimes that support is contingent upon the subject under consideration. In a shameful episode yesterday, it became apparent how fragile the concept can be as McMaster University showed its true and cowardly colours.
The union representing academic workers at McMaster University says three students who are also connected to the labour group have been banned from campus activities after they participated in a pro-Palestinian protest earlier this year.
The students are elected leaders with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3906. CUPE 3906 said on social media late last week they each received a notice from the Hamilton university that they have been declared "persona non grata."
Personal non grata is a term I have not heard in a long time. Often a diplomatic sanction, it means that a person, often a representative of another country, has said or done something that has offended the host constituency.
In diplomacy, a persona non grata (PNG) (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: personae non gratae) is a foreign diplomat who is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplomatic mission (including the removal of diplomatic immunity). A host country may declare persona non grata status for any member of a diplomatic staff at any time without any explanation.
According to McMaster's Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities, that designation is given to someone who is "denied the privilege" of entering specific parts of the university.
"If PNG individuals are found or seen in the area they are denied, then they will be subject to a charge by Security Services under the Trespass to Property Act," the policy states.
Demonstrating on behalf of a people experiencing genocidal attacks by Israel has therefore become a crime at McMaster.
CUPE 3906 said the status effectively bans the students from participating in campus activities, ranging from extra curriculars to any protests, but they can attend classes. At least one of the students confirmed to CBC Hamilton by email he had received the notice from McMaster.
In its online post, CUPE 3906 said the school is hoping to "use police violence to silence resistance to its complicity in the ongoing genocide in Palestine."
According to McMaster spokesperson Michelle donavan, who refused to speak about specifics, such a sanction can be applied if the code of conduct has been violated.
The code lists activities which constitute a violation, including engaging in threatening behaviours or communications, failing to comply with safety regulations, failing to cooperate with university officials, trespassing and causing disturbances.
"A PNG notice is given if there are concerns, based on the evidence of the case, that an individual poses a potential risk to campus or members of the campus community," she wrote.
The offending behaviour apparently was the encampment set up at the university, one of several across North America, to protest the killing of over 40,000 Palestinians by the state of Israel.
The protest grew within a week to have over 100 people and close to 70 tents, with daily activities and speakers. It ended in May after two-and-a-half weeks.
At the time, organizers said they'd come to an agreement with McMaster which included commitments around transparency about its investments and human rights considerations in international agreements that the university is involved in.
One of the students who says he received the notice is Mason Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick is the union's vice president. He said the other two include the co-chair of a tenant solidarity working group and the chair of a working group on funding for graduate students.
Fitzpatrick told CBC Hamilton he was involved in the encampment as a camper and a union representative. He and others with CUPE 3906 were planning to speak out about the decision Tuesday afternoon at a rally just off campus.
"We will not be intimidated. We will not back down. This move by the university only serves to clarify the need for workers to stand against imperialism," CUPE 3906 said on Instagram.
"We will use all means available to us to fight for the right to protest and look forward to seeing our members back on campus."
A sad day for people's Charter Rights, and a big black eye for McMaster University.
