The Central Advisory Health and Safety Committee (CAHS) met on Oct. 23 in the hopes of answering some of the pressing questions left over since violent protests forced former Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel his talk at Concordia Sept. 9.
At issue was how protesters managed to get past security into the Hall Building, as well as whether Netanyahu will be invited back to Concordia.
Present were 23 persons and committee members including Michael Di Grappa, vice-rector of services. Absent was head of security Jean Brisebois, who has yet to answer students’ questions concerning the event after missing the CAHS meeting on Sept. 13 and the Concordia Council on Student Life meeting held earlier this month, which he was asked to attend.
When asked why the Hall Building was not properly secured and spectators not adequately protected, Darren DuMoulin, university security’s site manager for the Sir George Williams campus and replacement for Brisebois at the meeting, assured committee members that “H-110 was secure.”
Di Grappa said extra security was brought in for Netanyahu’s speech. “79 additional security guards were added for that day, 80 police and 24 RCMP,” he explained. He also added that all of this security was not enough because of a group of demonstrators, most of whom, according to Di Grappa, did not even attend Concordia and did not want Netanyahu to speak.
Also expressed were concerns over the cost of cleaning up after the protests, which included replacing two broken windows, as well as the cost for the extra security.
When asked whether Netanyahu will ever be back to speak at the university, Di Grappa said it “[depends] on the circumstances and the situation, but many lessons were learned from this experience: for us and for the police.” He did not provide a clear answer as to whether Rector Frederick Lowy will heed the call of famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal to invite Netanyahu back to Concordia.
As for any committee recommendations for any other future speakers, members remain optimistic. The first recommendation is to have more protection for ticket holders and to have shatterproof glass put in at the ground floor of the Hall Building.
CSU councillor calls for inquiry
Not all members of the committee were satisfied with Di Grappa’s responses, though. CSU councillor Adam Slater, a member of the committee, found no concrete answers were given. “I feel that the rector’s cabinet is not taking responsibility for their decision making process,” he said after the meeting.
According to Slater, Concordia’s internal regulations stipulate that the ultimate responsibility for the events of Sept. 9 lies with the rector’s cabinet, since it has the final decision making power at the university. He feels that by placing blame on the student union, Hillel or Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights the administration is simply shirking its own responsibility.
“There has to be some sort of inquiry into how the rector’s cabinet makes it decisions. Some sort of accountability.”
