By Sue-Anne Levy, THE TORONTO SUN
After a five-month “investigation,” the powers-that-be at University of Toronto have concluded that a history professor did not discriminate against Jewish student Ari Blaff when he accused him of being Israeli government agent sent to the university to intimidate critics of the Jewish state.
In the almost laughable decision letter, acting vice-principal academic and dean Angela Lange says while the tone and the language used by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean History professor Jens Hanssen in a scathing e-mail to Blaff, may not have not been “civil,” he did not breach the university’s Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment.
“Strong views may be expressed and are protected by the university’s commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression,” writes Lange, who made $218,000 in 2016.
“However, Professor Hanssen himself has acknowledged that he now regrets his tone and some of the language he used (in his e-mail.)”
Blaff said he was not surprised with the outcome, noting that anything to do with anti-Semitism on campus is treated with a “different burden of proof” — that “withering criticism” against Jews is tolerated.
“Were this to have been done to a different ethnic minority group … there would have been a public reprimand,” he said Friday.
Lange’s letter is dated Aug. 23, exactly one week before new Ontario Premier Doug Ford issued a directive to all publicly funded colleges and universities to develop a free speech policy by Jan. 1, 2019 or risk having their grants reduced.
Blaff, 25, who graduated in June with a Masters of Global Affairs, filed the complaint in March of this year after Hanssen sent him an e-mail accusing the former Hasbara fellow of being an “Israeli advocacy activist” whose role on campus was to indoctrinate students, professors and administrators into believing anti-Israel activities (in particular the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions or BDS movement) is tantamount to anti-Semitism.
BDS is a world-wide movement that tries to delegitimize Israel by pressuring artists not to perform there and forcing boycotts of Israeli products. According to Hanssen’s own online profile, he has a long history with the BDS and anti-Israel apartheid movements.
Blaff found himself in Hanssen’s crosshairs after simply e-mailing him to meet over coffee to discuss pursuing a possible PhD focussing on Middle Eastern studies..
Hanssen, who is tenured and made $134,282 last year, closed his e-mail by adamantly refusing to meet with Blaff on “ethical and academic grounds.”
Lange notes that during the investigation by Alexis Archbold, an assistant dean in the law faculty, Hanssen alleged that Blaff’s e-mail was an effort to “entrap him” — a claim Blaff vociferously denies.
The history professor also contended that his decision not to meet with Blaff had “nothing to do with his ethnicity or religion but was “based entirely on his participation in a propaganda initiative of a foreign government (namely Hasbara).”
“The investigator (Archbold) found professor Hanssen to be credible, candid and sincere,” writes Lange, who did acknowledge (though somewhat begrudgingly from the tone of her letter) that Blaff had no ulterior motives in wanting to meet Hanssen.
Hanssen did not respond to an e-mail and phone request for comment.
But Robert Walker, National Director of Hasbara Fellowships Canada, said they’re “very disappointed” with the university’s report — that the university should have publicly renounced the e-mail.
“This shows the kind of misconceptions about Israel,” he said. “This is precisely why there is a need for organization (on campus) to educate students.”
Blaff said this issue and the outcome tells other Jewish students to “keep their heads down” and not rock the boat.
“You draw attention to it and the administration carries on just business as usual,” he said, adding that he felt they just did the review to “cover themselves.”
Indeed, university officials — without a trace of shame — reiterated the party line when approached about the report Friday.
Spokesman Elizabeth Church (who used to work beside me at City Hall for the Globe and Mail) said the letter is “private” and can’t be discussed.
She said while the university will always be a place of “open discussion and debate, they will “also continue to confront anti-Semitism, racism, faith-based discrimination and all other forms of discrimination.”
Nope sorry. On the handling of this file, U of T gets an F.
But I will certainly give Church and the administration an A for excellence in virtue-signalling.
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