A conference held at the University of Alberta that received federal funding featured speakers who supported designated terrorist groups or celebrated Hamas’ attacks on Israel. The National Post reported Thursday the Mediations of Racial Capitalism Conference (MRCC) is a three-part lecture series aimed at acknowledging capitalism promotes settler colonialism, anti-black racism, heteropatriachy, and empire. The MRCC featured at least four academics who have published controversial statements about the Israel-Hamas War on February 9. “It is deeply concerning that government funds are being used to give a platform to speakers who openly support terrorist organizations and their terror attacks,” said Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs Vice-President of External Affairs and General Counsel Richard Marceau. British digital media studies professor Francesca Sobande retweeted a toolkit designed for freedom lovers to join or deepen their engagement as activists struggle to obtain Palestinian liberation in October. A link pointed viewers to a video from terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and resources crafted by affiliate Samidoun. On the day of the Hamas attacks, Sobande retweeted a tweet justifying them. Two days later, she retweeted a post condemning Israeli leaders for saying Hamas terrorists were animals. Israel’s sole responsibility for the attacks is a belief held by various MRCC participants. Dartmouth University media studies professor Roopika Risam said in October people are misinterpreting Hamas’ attacks. “The only way I can understand how people think that Palestinian resistance is ‘unprovoked’ is that people must think settler colonialism is what Patrick Wolfe would call an event rather than a structure,” said Risam. .While people might have condemned the attacks, Risam argued they were legitimate. “That rapid decline of my follower count tells me that academics love decolonization in theory but aren’t here for it in practice,” she said. .University of Washington cinema studies professor Diana Flores Ruiz shared a painting glorifying a Hamas bulldozer breaking through Israel’s border wall. Christ’s College Director of Art History Kareem Estefan retweeted a tweet applauding Houthi rebels in Yemen for attacking international shipping containers in the Red Sea. Four days after Hamas’ onslaught, Estefan refused to acknowledge its attacks were the worst atrocity committed against Jews since the Holocaust. The Canadian government pledged to revamp its vetting process for federal funds in 2023 after Community Media Advocacy Centre consultant Laith Marouf was paid more than $100,000 and found to have made several antisemitic tweets. However, funding for the MRCC came from federal sources, including Canada Research Chairs (CRC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). “After the Laith Marouf scandal, the Government of Canada promised that funding would never again be used to platform hate and there would be increased scrutiny on funding recipients,” said Marceau. “These changes were supposed to be implemented across all federal government bodies, not only Canadian Heritage’s funding programs.” To prevent similar situations from happening, Marceau said the CRC and all other government bodies “must review their vetting process to ensure that funds are not allocated in ways that run against the government’s own anti-hate and anti-terror strategies.”SSHRC communications advisor Nicole Swiatek did not answer questions pertaining to new vetting processes implemented since the Marouf scandal or future policy updates to be introduced because of the MRCC. “SSHRC grant and scholarship applications are submitted through eligible post-secondary institutions and awarded through a competitive process of independent merit review designed to ensure the highest standards of excellence and impartiality in the selection process,” said Swiatek. “Neither SSHRC nor the CRC program are directly involved in the organization of events that stem from research funding, including the choice of speakers and participants.”U of A spokesperson Michael Brown underscored it had not organized it and requested the organizers be contacted to learn more about it. “We have noted that the organizers have indicated some U of A entities on their ‘sponsors’ webpage,” said Brown. “We’ve reached out to event organizers for clarity and have not yet received a response.”U of A and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) were listed as joint sponsors of the event on the MRCC website. When it comes to SJP, U of A administrators said it was not a university-recognized or funded student organization after it held a vigil to honour its martyrs. After the National Post reached out for comment to the organizers, the sponsors page was edited to remove references to SJP and pro-Palestine group the Palestine Booth. The academics were the first four lecturers during the MRCC’s first session on February 9. Subsequent seminars have been scheduled for Friday and February 23 with different speakers. Alberta Advanced Education press secretary Mackenzie Blyth acknowledged the government was not involved with the MRCC. “The conference received no funding from the Government of Alberta,” said Blyth. The U of A Sexual Assault Centre signed an open letter penned by Ontario independent MPP Sarah Jama (Hamilton Centre) and Victoria city councillor Susan Kim in November that denied rapes against Israeli women. READ MORE: UPDATED: University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre signatory on Jama's letter calling Jewish rape victims liarsThe signatories called for the resignation of all MPs, which the letter was addressed to. They attributed the many instances of rape to “unverified accusations.”
