A Canadian pro-Palestine student group posted an image Wednesday, on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, of a man smashing a window.
The student group, known as Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) at Quebec’s McGill University, promoted a solidarity rally to be held at the university in a Facebook post.
“Join the McGill contingent as we answer the National Day of Shutdown for Palestine! This rally has been organized and led by student groups across Montreal, so now more than ever, we must show up in numbers for our people in Gaza and Palestine! Meet us at the Y-intersection at 1 pm,” the group’s Facebook page stated. (RELATED: Elite University Cancels Classes After Student Arrested For Antisemitic Threats)
One of the images on the post was a person smashing a window. This was reportedly brought to the attention of McGill’s principal.
“Publicizing an event through allusion to destruction of property is trouble. Far worse is using an image of people breaking glass to encourage participation in an event planned for November 9th, the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht,” McGill’s principal Deep Saini apparently wrote in an email obtained by McGill PhD Candidate Lyman Stone.
The principal’s letter claimed the posters with this image were “antisemitic” and had no place on campus.
lord have mercy
Canadian pro-Palestine activists planned an event on the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht and advertised it with posters showing people smashing windows.
It’s just anti-Semitism all the way down. THEY’RE CALLING FOR KRISTALLNACHT. pic.twitter.com/wjWfhH7Xhx
— Lyman Stone 石來民 🦬🦬🦬 (@lymanstoneky) November 9, 2023
Kristallnacht refers to the violent government sponsored pogroms that took place in Nazi Germany from Nov. 9 to 10 in 1938, per the Holocaust Encyclopedia. Images of those pogroms show shattered glass littered on the street in the aftermath of mob violence.
The image used on the poster appears to bear resemblance to a photo taken at a pro-Palestine demonstration involving SPHR at Concordia University in 2002, Segacs.com noted.
The protest happened when then-former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited to speak on the campus. The gathering descended into a mob of protestors smashing windows and beating up people, according to Segacs.com.