CJPME joins students, educators, and civil rights advocates in demanding Dery's resignation. Censuring education and awareness around Palestinian perspectives has no place in a free and democratic education system.
To the Editor,
Thank you for covering Dawson faculty unions’ call for Minister Pascale Dery’s resignation and mentioning her interference in course content related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On
behalf of CJPME (Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East), I cannot stress enough how important it is for readers to grasp the gravity of Minister Dery’s attack on academic freedom, setting an alarming precedent for political interference in education.
In February, Déry admitted to pressuring Dawson College to censor a course titled Appartenances palestiniennes,
claiming it was too “sensitive.” Her political interference sparked campus walkouts and fierce condemnation from faculty who rightly called her draconian measures a threat to academic freedom. Déry claims her actions are to protect student safety and ensure a neutral campus environment for both Jewish and Muslim students.
Yet she sat for years on the board of CIJA Quebec, a pro-Israel lobby group that backed her intervention.
This cannot be seen as anything other than a deliberate political choice to suppress discourse on Palestine.
CJPME joins students, educators, and civil rights advocates in demanding her
resignation. Censuring education and awareness around Palestinian perspectives has no place in a free and democratic education system.
Sincerely,
ANTHONY ISSA
Media ANALYST CANADIANS FOR Justice AND PEACE IN THE Middle East