Concordia University and its president Graham Carr were each served Friday with a mis-en-demeure filed in Quebec Superior Court that seeks a permanent injunction demanding that the university enforce its rules against hate and intimidation, in light of events that took place following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack against Israel.The University and Carr were each named separately as defendants.
Student plaintiffs in legal actions against local universities in the past year have been mostly anonymous, but this time Concordia students Anastasia Zorchinsky, Michael Eshayek, Drew Sylver and Diana Levitin have come forward publicly. They were joined in the suit by Hillel Concordia and activist group Start Up Nation. The suit is some 110 pages long.
Lawyer Neil Oberman, senior partner at Spiegel Sohmer, in a summary of the 109-page demand, says the action “arises from a need to ensure safety and protection of the plaintiffs,” who have been “subjected to discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and violence based on their ethnicity, religion, and beliefs by other students, faculty members, staff, or administrators of the university.”
“They share a common interest in seeking justice and accountability from the University and Graham Carr for their failure to protect them and to uphold its own values and policies.”
The legal document says that while Concordia claims to be committed “to creating an environment of respect and inclusiveness” and to fostering “a culture of prevention, reporting, and response” to address issues of sexual violence, racism, and discrimination,” “these claims are contradicted by the reality faced by the student plaintiffs at Concordia.
“These students have suffered physical, psychological, and academic harm because of Graham Carr’s and the university’s negligence, breach of contract, and violation of their fundamental rights.”
For more details, see the Sept. 4 Suburban.
Read More: Exclusive: Students sue Concordia and its President to enforce anti-hate rules