The Ryerson Students’ Union launched a petition yesterday in response to hate graffiti found on campus last week.
“This is a community response to say this is not OK,” said Rabia Idrees, RSU vice-president equity. “This has no place on Ryerson campus.”
The Change.org appeal asks Ryerson’s administration to “take proactive steps to help curb” hatred, violence and discrimination on campus.
“There should be clear consequences for these peoples’ actions and we need Ryerson Security and administration to legally pursue these individuals and hold them accountable,” it reads.
Idrees said the petition will collect support over the next week with a goal of adding 1,000 names.
More than 190 people had signaled their support as of 1 p.m. on Friday.
RELATED: Hate graffiti found on campus | Oct. 21, 2015
On Oct. 16, a student told security of graffiti found on the inside of a bathroom stall on the third floor of the library building.
The message referenced the “stealing of Palestine’s land” and called for Jews, Israel and its supporters to “burn in hell,” alongside other hateful statements.
University staff covered the writing when it was first reported and had it removed Monday.
President Sheldon Levy issued a statement condemning the act and confirmed the Toronto police were investigating.
The RSU’s petition cites other incidents on campus, including a vandalized poster found in the multi-faith area of the Ryerson Student Campus Centre — again targeting Jews — and messages targeting Muslims scrawled on posters during February’s RSU elections.
“We cannot wait around for another incident like this to occur,” the petition reads. “We, as a community, need to stand together and show these ignorant perpetrators that this will not be accepted.”
1 comment
We stand as one against hate.
Love for all, Hatred for None.
Stop the violence, at our age we should be the generation taking out any of the uneducated hate riots that were present before. As educated Canadian citizens it is shocking to see that people still arrive with such barbaric language and mindsets (in a University).
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