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With a poorly advertised and lopsided vote last month — final tally: 18 in favour to two against — York University’s Federation of Students decided to join the “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” or BDS movement, which also claims support of graduate students unions at York, Concordia University, the University of Regina and the University of Toronto.

Though not binding on the administration or faculty, the boycott calls on York to sell its shares in companies that profit from Israel — York has shares, for example, in Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, both defence contractors — and to refuse engagement with Israeli academics.

York’s investment policy says that divestment from particular companies “is not recommended as best practice.” Shunning scholars based on their nationality, critics say, is much worse.

“It so fundamentally violates academic freedom issues, for example, to boycott professors,” said Karen Mock, a human rights consultant and spokesperson for JSpaceCanada, a progressive Zionist organization. “They’re saying it’s to boycott a nation, but it isn’t.”

Calling an academic boycott “the antithesis of academic freedom,” she said student promoters of the boycott have reacted to past failures by resorting to “insidious, nefarious strategies to garner support,” such as quick votes and limited debate.

It’s a strategy to disenfranchise people so that votes will go through

“It’s a strategy to disenfranchise people so that votes will go through, so it shows they didn’t have the confidence this would represent the majority,” she said.