Violent & Antisemitic Messages Exposed in Pro-Palestinian Group Chats at Canadian University
Western University pro-Palestine students expressed Hamas support, shared antisemitic content, and discussed concealing weapons at protests. Jewish students' concerns were rebuffed by school officials
A National Post investigation by Ari David Blaff has uncovered alarming antisemitic content and violent threats within private pro-Palestinian student group chats at Western University in London, Ontario. According to Blaff's reporting, Jewish students who infiltrated the groups documented Hitler memes, pro-Hamas videos, discussions about concealing weapons at protests, and explicit threats of violence against Jewish students following the October 7, 2023 attacks led by Hamas.
The article explains how the chat histories reveal students expressing unwavering support for Hamas despite unfolding devastation in Gaza, with one member writing "h4mas is literally OUR military" and others praising Hamas leaders as "gangsters." The groups also contained discussions about bringing knives to peaceful protests, with one student suggesting carrying "oranges in your bag so your excuse for the knife is to cut oranges."
University Response Falls Short
Blaff's reporting details how Jewish students attempted to report the concerning content through official university channels but were rebuffed when they refused to identify themselves due to safety concerns. Western University's associate vice president of human resources Jane O'Brien and legal counsel David Foster repeatedly demanded the complainants identify themselves before any investigation could proceed.
The university defended its position in a statement to the National Post, with spokesman Stephen Ledgley saying the complaint "lacked sufficient information to proceed with an investigation, such as identifying any student connected to the alleged conduct."
Escalating Antisemitic Rhetoric
Blaff reported that the chat content became increasingly disturbing over time. Students discussed how to "rid Jews from the Middle East," with suggestions to relocate them to Mars "let them burn a little" or the sun because "Allah will burn them." The groups shared Holocaust denial content and Nazi imagery, including a cartoon of Hitler with "#1 Victory Royale!" and the number 6 million.
The investigation reveals that students were conscious of potential consequences, with one warning "If someone sees this gc [group chat] and reports it, we all getting expelled." According to the article, members strategically advised each other to use "Zionist" instead of "Jew" when speaking publicly to avoid antisemitism accusations.
The article reported that the original Palestinian Cultural Club chat became more politically charged after October 7, leading members to create a separate "Palestinian safe zone NOT Affiliated with Western" WhatsApp group for security reasons. However, Jewish students managed to infiltrate this supposedly secure channel and documented months of concerning content.
Violence Threats and Security Concerns
Blaff's reporting documents explicit threats against Jewish students, including one geology major who wrote "I got some pretty rocks that I can use to 'fix' her brains" in reference to a Jewish business student. Another student stated "I'll pop them if I see them in person" when referring to Israelis.
Security expert Christian Leuprecht from the Royal Military College of Canada told the National Post that the content "sounds like there's enough here certainly to start a security intelligence investigation, possibly to start a criminal intelligence investigation."
Jewish Organizations Demand Accountability
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) has made statements urging accountability for those who promote violence and antisemitism. CIJA general counsel Richard Marceau described the chat content as "dangerous," stating that "individuals involved shared violent threats, antisemitic slurs, and grotesque conspiracy theories, all while joking about how to evade university accountability using disappearing messages."
Palestinian Club Denies Allegations, Threatens Legal Action
The Palestinian Cultural Club responded to the National Post through Instagram, stating they are "fully cooperating with all legal processes" and would be "fully rebutting the fallacious claims." The club warned that allegations of supporting hate or antisemitism are "false, malicious, and defamatory" and threatened legal action against "spurious allegations."
The investigation spans the 2023-24 academic year and includes timestamped messages, screenshots, videos, and phone numbers from the chat groups. Jewish students and their lawyer Jonathan Rosenthal have insisted on anonymity due to safety concerns stemming from the increase in campus violence toward Jewish students.