"First, you write that “student protesters at the University of Ottawa have cleared their encampment after more than two months of protesting the war in Gaza.” I take issue with your use of vague terms such as “war” instead of explicitly stating that Israel has been employing full-blown war tactics on Palestinians in Gaza, such as starvation, indiscriminate bombing of neighborhoods and hospitals, using Palestinians as human shields."
July 11, 2024
To:
Marlo Glass, Staff Reporter, Ottawa Citizen
Adrienne Batra, Editor-in-chief, Toronto Sun
Nicole Feriancek, Editor-in-chief, Ottawa Citizen
Dear Mr. Glass, Ms. Batra, and Ms. Feriancek,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express concerns about the article “Pro-Palestinian protesters at University of Ottawa clear their encampment” published by the Toronto Sun on July 10, 2024.
First, you write that “student protesters at the University of Ottawa have cleared their encampment after more than two months of protesting the war in Gaza.” I take issue with your use of vague terms such as “war” instead of explicitly stating that Israel has been employing full-blown war tactics on Palestinians in Gaza, such as starvation, indiscriminate bombing of neighborhoods and hospitals, using Palestinians as human shields.
Using the passive voice to describe these facts without explicitly stating that Israel, the perpetrator, is responsible for the genocide in Gaza, absolves Israel of its responsibility. Your sentence should rather read, “student protesters at the University of Ottawa have cleared their encampment after more than two months of protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza” and reflect the students’ true intentions by citing them.
I believe your article could have been much stronger if you had explicitly highlighted the demands of the students. According to their Instagram page, their demands are:
- “Fully disclose direct and indirect investments made by the university”
- “Divest from any and all corporations and indirectly in the surveillance occupation, and murder of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank”
- “The formal adoption of the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association of Anti-Palestinian racism”.
Second, it is deeply concerning that the caption of the first picture refers to students at the pro-Palestinian encampment at U of Ottawa as "settlers." This term carries significant historical and political connotations that are not only inaccurate but also inflammatory in this context. "Settler" traditionally refers to individuals who move into and occupy land that is not their own, often implying a colonial or expansionist agenda. Israelis are the ones who are typically referred to as “settlers” and referring to the students as such is insulting to what they stand for.
It is worth noting that tthroughout the article, you correctly refer to them as "students" protesting at U of Ottawa.
I urge you, therefore, to change the sentence: “one of the few remaining settlers at the pro-Palestinian encampment packs up his belongings from the University of Ottawa grounds” to: “one of the few remaining students at the pro-Palestinian encampment packs up his belongings from the University of Ottawa grounds.”
I hope you make these changes and consider my suggestions in future reporting on the pro-Palestine encampments.
Sincerely,
Lynn Naji
Junior Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East