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Debate over academic freedom on Israel-Hamas war creates rift between
UNB faculty, administration
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Tensions are growing between faculty and administrators at the
University of New Brunswick over language used by the president in
response to student-led demonstrations in solidarity with civilians in
Gaza.
Also causing concern among faculty is a trespass notice issued to a
professor for setting up a tent on the Saint John campus.
Earlier this month, the union representing faculty and staff at UNB
filed a grievance against the university, arguing it violated its
commitment to academic freedom when it issued the trespass notice to a
biology professor who set up a tent as part of demonstrations against
the Israeli military's offensive in Gaza.
It came just a week after UNB president _Paul Mazerolle issued a
statement_ about protests that had been occurring on the Saint John
and Fredericton campuses.
** _WATCH | '_** ** _I'm feeling like I can no longer recommend that
students come here, prof says'_**
### Debate over academic freedom creates rift between some UNB
faculty, administrators
Professor says faculty are unhappy with how administration has
responded to demonstrations in solidarity with civilians in Gaza.
In it, he begins by saying members of the UNB and the greater
Fredericton and Saint John communities have engaged in peaceful
protests on each campus in relation to the war in Gaza.
Later in his statement, he says UNB values and upholds freedom of
expression and free speech but adds there are limits.
"Expressing hate speech is not protected in Canada. Disrupting the
safety and normal operations of the university, or the construction of
unauthorized structures, do not fall under the purview of free
expression."
Mazerolle later goes on to say that "violence will not be tolerated at
our university."
University of New Brunswick classics professor Matthew Sears says he
and other faculty are upset about comments made by UNB president Paul
Mazerolle in a statement about protesting. (Submitted by Matthew
Sears)
UNB classics professor Matthew Sears says many faculty and staff at
UNB are disappointed by what he calls a "heavy-handed" approach by UNB
administrators toward the protests in Saint John, as well as
Mazerolle's statement, which Sears says implies those who've been
demonstrating are violent.
"We were quite upset that this language, coming out of nowhere,
responding to no actual threats or incidents of violence or hate
speech, was thrown in there to be inflammatory, to stack the
rhetorical deck against those standing in solidarity with
Palestinians," Sears said in an interview.
"It criminalizes Palestinian solidarity and it sets up those engaged
in these activities as perhaps contemplating or threatening violence
or hate speech or disrupting the university's operations, and so,
yeah, we were very taken aback by that [statement]."
Student-led protests have been held at university campuses across
North America since the Israeli government began a military offensive
in Gaza in response to an attack by Hamas militants.
The Israeli government says Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people
and kidnapped 250 during the attack from Gaza on southern Israel on
Oct. 7, 2023.
In response, the Israeli government launched an aerial bombing and
ground offensive campaign, which the Gaza health ministry says has
killed more than 37,000 people.
On campuses in the United States and Canada, students have gathered to
call on their universities to sell off investments they hold in
Israeli companies, particularly those that develop or produce arms and
technology used by the Israel Defense Forces, in response to the high
death toll in Gaza.
Some protests on Canadian campuses have turned into round-the-clock
encampments, prompting universities to seek legal action to forcibly
remove them.
At UNB, protesters have gathered daily at the Saint John campus, and
weekly at the Fredericton campus.
## Professor issued trespass notice
Jeff Houlahan, chair of the department of biological sciences at UNB's
Saint John campus, said he started demonstrating alongside students on
May 6.
He said every day, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., he'd set up a sign saying
"Free Gaza," and sit in the campus's quad, engaging in debates and
discussions with other students and faculty about the conflict.
"It's been extremely peaceful," he said of the demonstrations.
Jeff Houlahan says he's been demonstrating every day at the University
of New Brunswick's Saint John campus. (Submitted by Jeff Houlahan)
Houlahan said about two weeks into it, he decided to put up a camping
tent to shield against the rain, prompting campus security to ask him
to take it down, which he objected to.
He said he set the tent up at the beginning of each day and broke it
down and took it home in the afternoon.
On May 28, campus security approached him and a student protest
organizer and informed them they were being issued a seven-day no-
trespass order, Houlahan said. They were told this could result in
their arrests if they came back on campus, he said.
Houlahan said he still returned the following day, again with his
tent, and this time was approached by security guards and officers
with the Saint John Police Force.
He said officers initially told him he'd be escorted off campus but
after discussions with campus security, they left without arresting or
fining him.
Houlahan has been setting up a camping tent as part of his daily
demonstrations. (Submitted by Jeff Houlahan)
Saint John police Sgt. Matthew Weir confirmed officers responded to a
call by campus security about a protester refusing to remove a tent.
He said that when they learned the protest was peaceful, they left the
scene.
Houlahan said he's since returned to the campus most days, with his
tent, to demonstrate but he's disappointed by UNB's threat to have him
arrested and upset by Mazerolle's statement regarding the
demonstrations.
"I was outraged by it because I felt like he knew that there had been
no violence," Houlahan said. "He knew there had been no hate speech,
but he could throw that out there as, you know, this complete
distraction."
## UNB supports peaceful protest, says president
CBC News asked UNB for an interview with Mazerolle but was told he was
unavailable.
In an emailed statement, he said UNB supports peaceful protests on
campus and also wants everyone in its community to feel safe and to
respect its values, including academic freedom.
"Like many universities, we hear multiple perspectives from our
community about this conflict," Mazerolle said.
"We remain firm in our commitment to be a place of reasoned debate
where conflicting views can co-exist peacefully."
CBC News has seen the trespass notice issued against Houlahan, and it
does not detail why it was issued.
When asked, UNB spokesperson Marcia Seitz-Ehler shared a copy of a May
13 letter by UNB security director Don Allen in anticipation of
planned protests.
Seitz-Ehler said in an email that the letter was physically given to
protesters on both campuses and included a list of 18 actions that are
not allowed as part of protests, including the installation of
"temporary or permanent structures of any kind, including tents or
barricades."
Houlahan said his union, the Association of University of New
Brunswick Teachers, has filed a grievance against UNB over issuing the
trespass notice, arguing UNB violated his right to academic freedom.
Brenda Morais, an executive assistant with the association, confirmed
in an email to CBC News that it has filed a grievance on behalf of a
member who was issued a trespass notice but said the union would not
comment publicly on it.
## Calls for divestment at UNB
Sears and Houlahan aren't the only faculty taking issue with
Mazerolle's comments.
An open letter to Mazerolle and UNB board chair Tom Gribbons states
UNB employees are "dismayed" by the content and tone of Mazerolle's
statement, and the suggestion that protesters have engaged in
violence. The June 4 letter had been electronically signed by more
than 120 faculty and staff as of Friday.
The letter also calls on the university to divest from Israeli
companies, companies that do business with Israel, and any others that
produce weapons used against Palestinian civilians.
UNB president Paul Mazerolle issued a statement in May saying the
university will not be complying with demands by faculty to sell off
investments it holds in Israeli companies. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
Sears said at a university senate meeting in May, Mazerolle disclosed
UNB's operating endowment had about $340,000 invested in Israeli
companies, which accounted for 0.08 per cent of the total fund.
CBC News has not seen the minutes of the meeting, but Mazerolle's
statement confirms less than 0.1 per cent of UNB's investment
portfolio is in "Israeli companies."
While the amount is relatively miniscule, Sears said he believes
selling the investments would serve to condemn the Israel Defense
Forces' killing of civilians during the war in Gaza.
"I think the [New Brunswick] public has a very clear interest in its
flagship university making a statement and taking a stand in what it
is investing in," he said.
In his May 31 statement, Mazerolle said he's aware of calls for UNB to
divest from Israeli companies and to publicly denounce Israel.
"UNB will not be complying with these demands," Mazerolle said.
"Two principles are being adhered to in relation to these matters —
institutional autonomy and political neutrality."
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