EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

This open letter is submitted in response to Justice Mary Lou Benotto’s external review of two 2025 incidents at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). The first was TMU security’s violent handling of students protesting a Dais Democracy Forum event on Sept. 19. The second was police action on Nov. 5 against students protesting the appearance of a former Israeli soldier who served in Gaza. We find that the Report’s framing, analysis, and recommendations reflect a strongly partisan perspective that adopts a Zionist worldview, incriminates Palestinian activism on campus and minimizes the Palestinian experience. The Report denies the genocide in Gaza, which U.N. bodies, governments, and human rights organizations have recognized, and recasts it as a “conflict” or “war” between two symmetrical sides. It treats antisemitism as fact while framing anti-Palestinian racism as merely alleged. It also recommends against institutional recognition of anti-Palestinian racism, despite the 2025 Toronto Metropolitan University Faculty Association motion supporting such recognition. It denies Palestinian indigeneity by relying on selective Indigenous voices and ignoring broad Indigenous solidarity with Palestine. It conflates anti-Zionism with antisemitism and disregards Jewish anti-Zionist perspectives, including those of TMU faculty. It recommends adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which leading scholars, CAUT, Human Rights Watch, and one of its own drafters have criticized for suppressing legitimate criticism of Israel. Finally, it attacks academic freedom by proposing a review of faculty political activism, despite clearly defined protections under the TFA Collective Agreement. We call on TMU and the Implementation Task Force to reject the Report’s pro-Zionist stance and its recommendations on IHRA and faculty activism. They should instead adopt an anti-Palestinian racism policy, investigate harassment of Palestinian community members and their allies and name Israel’s continuing assault on Gaza as a genocide in all future communications. 

Link to full open letter – https://bit.ly/f4p-tmu-open-letter-benotto.