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Some Jewish students at Concordia University are saying a recent “one-sided” event on campus promoting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement left them feeling like the target of a hate campaign.

Students involved in organizing the BDS Week at Concordia at the end of October say their goal was simply to raise awareness about the movement, which stems from a declaration issued in July 2005, signed by about 100 Palestinian organizations, calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel that mirror those levied against South Africa during the 1980s.

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However, the event — the first weeklong BDS event held at any North American university to date — seems to have primarily succeeded in polarizing students and raising tensions on campus, which is often the result of any forums surrounding the controversial BDS movement.

“The atmosphere was not inclusive and there were just a series of speakers slandering Israeli tactics and spewing hate,” said Eden Moalem, a Concordia student in exercise science who attended the event and who describes herself as pro-Israel but also pro-Palestinian human rights.