The fighting in Israel and Gaza was thousands of kilometres away. But an attempt at student advocacy — a petition declaring “unequivocal solidarity with Palestine” — was threatening to unravel the mutual respect holding together the diverse campus at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law.

The school, founded in 2020 and branded as “a different kind of law school” focused on equity and inclusion, now seemed riven with betrayal and fear. …

At TMU’s law school, administrators are caught between some members of the Jewish community, who warn that contempt for Israel is slipping into something uglier, and those loudly protesting mass displacement and death in Gaza, who say spurious allegations of antisemitism are being used to silence their voices. For the young people that signed the petition, the experience is a harsh reminder that, in the age of social media, even a brief foray into student activism threatens to follow you for the rest of your life.

[Sorry, but boo frickin’ hoo. When you participate in the public square, especially when promoting that participation in the media and on social-media platforms, those positions have consequences. If you support terrorists and unprovoked massacres of civilians, people are allowed to form opinions about your character and your suitability. And donors are allowed to react by keeping their own money. — Ed]