Durham, UOIT student association apologizes for blocking pro-Israel group from event

An Ontario student association has apologized to a pro-Israel advocacy organization that was barred from a campus event last year. In a statement posted this week on its website, the student association of Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology said it regretted blocking Robert Walker, director of Hasbara Fellowships Canada, from participating in the school’s Social Justice Week in Spring 2016. “The SA sincerely apologizes to Mr. Walker and Hasbara,” the statement said. “The SA aims to promote healthy debate on campus and rejects discrimination of any kind, including against Israeli students or community members.” The apology was part of a negotiated settlement that was reached after Hasbara Fellowships filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. The student association also said it would welcome Hasbara at future campus events. Globe and Mail