McMaster student union votes to support BDS

McMaster University’s student union has voted to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for political and economic pressure to be exerted against Israel. 622 students voted for the resolution and 28 against; however, the matter was extremely contentious. A number of students reportedly walked out of the meeting shortly before the vote in an attempt to reduce attendance below the level required for a quorum. A member of the McMaster student group Israel on Campus wrote an editorial in opposition to the BDS movement, stating that “at McMaster and elsewhere, it has become incredibly clear that BDS not only silences opposition, but also shuts down the debate.” The BDS movement has been a controversial matter on a number of Canadian campuses. In December, the results of a Concordia University undergraduate referendum on the matter was subject to a number of complaints from parties on both sides of the issue. CBC