University of Toronto Students to Host Convicted PFLP Terrorist [UPDATED: Event Cancelled]
University of Toronto Groups Platform Convicted Terrorist Leader
On January 30, 2025, three University of Toronto student groups—the University of Toronto Muslim Student Association (UTMSA), UofT Occupy for Palestine, and Tkaronto Students in Solidarity with Palestine—are set to host a hybrid event interviewing Shadi Shurafa, a member and leader in the US and Canadian-designated terror group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Shurafa served over 10 years in Israeli prison for his membership in the PFLP’s military wing and planning a foiled bomb attack on a Jerusalem bus during the Second Intifada, a roughly 5-year period of widespread Palestinian terror attacks in Israel. Upon Shurafa’s release from prison in 2022, he was met with congratulatory messages from the PFLP, which referred to him as their "comrade."
Shurafa’s writing has been published on the website of Samidoun, a PFLP front group that has also been designated as a terror group by the US and Canada.
Praise for Former-Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar
Additionally, in a podcast interview following Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death in 2024, Shurafa praised the now-deceased mastermind of the Oct 7th atrocities, with whom he reportedly served time in prison developed a close friendship.
B’nai Brith Canada has condemned the event and has emphasized that by platforming a convicted terrorist, the UTMSA is violating school policies and is creating a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students.
“By platforming an unrepentant convicted terrorist and member of a listed terrorist organization, the UTMSA has violated [U of T policies], creating a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students and undermining the values of safety and inclusivity,” B’nai Brith wrote in a letter to U of T President Meric Gertler. “This event is a blatant attempt to sanitize and legitimize terrorism.”
The University of Toronto did not respond to a request for comment from Jewish Onliner by press time.
UPDATE:
On Thursday evening, the Watermelon Coalition, another co-organizer, sent an e-mail to all registrants that the event has been cancelled and will be replaced with a different one featuring a “Palestinian researcher.”
