We, the graduate students at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto (U of T), are deeply concerned by the threats to academic freedom instigated by the university administration, particularly in relation to the punishment and suppression of scholars who are critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, or who have engaged in advocacy in support of Palestinian rights and freedom.

As scholars, activists, educators, and allies, we are painfully aware of growing threats to academic freedom throughout North America and beyond. This includes backlash towards those teaching critical studies and engaging in scholarship around race, gender, imperialism, and colonialism; the censorship, backlash, and threats aimed towards those studying or engaging in activist efforts in support of Palestine including the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement. The withholding of tenure or academic job offers from those engaging in research and public work that challenge concentrations of wealth and power and aim to advance social, political and economic justice.

It is disappointing and alarming to see the University of Toronto bow to donor and political pressures by rescinding a job offer to Dr. Valentina Azarova as Director of the International Human Rights Program in the Faculty of Law. This action has betrayed the central values that any institution of higher learning is supposed to stand for. We are concerned about the significant damage done to the environment of learning and collaboration at the University, as events and conferences continue to be cancelled. We are also very concerned about the hostile environment created for Palestinian students and staff, and allied groups on campus.

We support the censure imposed by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) in response to the University of Toronto administration's violations of academic integrity and freedom. While the censure continues we will neither host nor attend any events with outside speakers at the University and we demand that the administration take immediate steps to repair this situation by addressing the full list of concerns of the CAUT.

As a faculty of education with social justice as part of its core mission, we ask that all four of OISE’s academic departments publicly release statements in support of the current CAUT censure of U of T and the principle of defending academic freedom. We also ask that OISE leadership including the department chairs and the interim Dean call on senior leadership at U of T to apologize for its grave errors of judgment, to renew Dr. Azarova's employment offer, and to commit to developing and enacting a plan to ensure donor influence will never again influence hiring decisions at the University.

In solidarity,

OISE students for CAUT censure of UofT