Lawsuit accuses Concordia, student union of failing to address antisemitism on campus

A proposed class-action lawsuit accuses Concordia University in Montreal and its student union of failing to meaningfully address antisemitism on campus.

The lawsuit application seeks $15 million in damages for members of the proposed class, which includes Jewish students, faculty and staff currently at the school or who attended or worked there in the last three years.

Two Concordia students and one professor are leading the application, filed in Quebec Superior Court Thursday, and requesting anonymity in legal proceedings because they fear retaliation.

Examples of antisemitism on campus they cite in the lawsuit include an altercation last week between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students that led to one arrest.

The application says Concordia failed to investigate incidents of antisemitism and didn’t offer support to Jewish students targeted by those hateful acts, among other accusations.

Concordia says it does not comment on pending legal proceedings and the Concordia Student Union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

None of the accusations has been proven in court, and a judge will need to authorize the class action before it can move forward.

– This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2023.