Article content

Almost a year after taking their case to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, a group of pro-Israel campus activists denied entry into an Ontario university’s social justice fair have received an apology from the school’s student association, and an invitation back.

The Student Association at Durham College and University of Ontario Institute of Technology banned Hasbara Fellowships from its social justice fair last year, saying in an email the organization “seems closely tied to the state of Israel,” and that based on the student association’s support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, they could not allow them in.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Ontario student union apologizes to pro-Israel organization after rejecting it from social justice event Back to video

It’s true that Hasbara has ties to Israel — the organization was founded in 2001 by the Aish HaTorah and the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the goal of making students more effective pro-Israel campus activists.

Hasbara Fellowships Canada National Director Robert Walker said he was “hurt” by what he viewed as a discriminatory decision based on ethnic identity.