MONTREAL/October 4, 2004—
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am meeting with you today to clarify the reasons for the decision taken by Concordia University to decline the request by the student group Hillel to host a proposed lecture by Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on campus.
I think it is clear to all that Concordia University holds in great esteem the career and untiring efforts of Ehud Barak to find peace in the Middle East. As we have said in the statement on the university website, we are prepared to co-sponsor the event at a location which meets the security criteria needed to hold such an event. We have made this proposal to the organizers of the event and I wish to renew this offer here.
We have done a security audit of possible venues for the event on campus in conjunction with security officials from outside the university usually assigned to such events.
It is clearly the consensus that the sites proposed on both our campuses do not correspond to the security needs. The Security report makes it clear that the security risks of hosting the event at Loyola were significant. The event could not be held there without enormous disruption to the Concordia community and our neighbours.
In terms of our Loyola campus more specifically, the reasons for concluding that the event could not take place there also include traffic control on the campus, the proximity of a residential neighbourhood for which we have a certain institutional consideration to keep in mind, and the location of four separate educational and health and social service facilities, other than the University itself, adjacent to the sites originally proposed.
As I have said, it is unfortunate, but a reality nonetheless, that the safety of its community members and guests must occupy a central position in planning events at an institution dedicated to free speech. We have determined that there are several off-campus locations that can host this event and we are willing to lend our support.
I will be glad to take questions.
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