The Urbanite – Jon Liedtke – Mar. 2, 2014
The University of Windsor Students’ Alliance has become the first student union in Canada to approve a boycott, divestment and sanction strategy of Israel through an undergraduate referendum.
Students voted in favour of the referendum question which affirms solidarity with the Palestinian people and which opposes the Israeli government and its respective policies.
Of 1,398 votes, 798 voted in favour of the referendum, 585 voted against it, 10 voted for ‘none of the above’ and 14 students abstained from voting.
Other student unions, such as Regina, Carleton, York, Trent and Toronto have endorsed the BDS movement in one form or another. On Feb. 26, University of California, Los Angeles voted down such measures.
The controversial referendum followed a break-in of the office of Jake DeJong, vice-president academic affairs of the UWSA. DeJong arrived at work on Feb. 27 to discover that his office has been vandalized and that his Support our Troops flag had been defaced with the Star of David and the word “ZIONIST.”
Windsor Police Service have classified the case as a break-and-enter and hate crime.
Jonathon Liedtke is the managing editor of The Urbanite, Windsor’s alternative newspaper. He is also a member of Windsor’s “Punk with Horns” band The Nefidovs, and as such, is committed to enhancing and sustaining the arts community.
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