York University Suspends Employees Arrested After Indigo Store Vandalized

A group of students and staff at Toronto's York University protest on Nov. 28, 2023, to ask for the reinstatement of employees suspended after being arrested on charges of vandalizing an Indigo store. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

York University says it has placed some employees on “non-disciplinary leave” after they were arrested and charged by Toronto Police following the vandalism of a Jewish-founded bookstore.

The incident happened on Nov. 10, according to police.

Posters were glued to the doors and windows of the Indigo store, and red paint was poured on the windows and sidewalk, a police news release said.

After the incident happened, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said it was an act of “antisemitic vandalism.” The organization, which is focused on Holocaust studies, said in its Nov. 10 statement that the store “was found vandalized with red paint and posters plastered on its front windows wrongfully accusing its Jewish founder and CEO, Heather Reisman, of ‘Funding Genocide.’”

Eleven people have been charged with the crime, including associate professor at York University Lesley Wood.

Ms. Wood has been charged with mischief over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, police said.

“We can confirm that the University has placed the community members named in the November 23 Toronto Police media advisory on non-disciplinary leave,” York University deputy spokesperson Yanni Dagonas told The Epoch Times in an email.

“York has adopted this approach out of concern for the safety of our community including the individuals charged by the police.”

Others charged in the incident include Nisha Toomey, Sharmeen Khan, MacDonald Scott, Mercedes Lee, Suzanne Narain, Sarom Rho, Ian Doty, Stuart Schussler, Karl Sebastian Gardner, and Clement Cheng. The Epoch Times was not able to confirm who was a York University employee.

The email statement said that the university was “acting in the best interests of student learning and in keeping with our stated values, including our commitment to free speech and open dialogue in peaceful ways that do not violate the law, university policies, or codes of conduct.”

Mr. Dagonas said that the school was making arrangements to ensure courses continue.

“This is a difficult situation for all concerned,” he said. “As these are confidential employment matters, York will not be commenting further.”

After the suspension of the employees, a group of students and staff waving Palestinian flags staged a protest at the university, asking for the employees to be reinstated.

Student Unions

This is not the first time the York administration has dealt with controversy in the aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.

On Oct.13, the university condemned a group of student unions after they issued a joint statement, saying their statement justified violence against civilians.

“York University unequivocally condemns the inflammatory statement shared by three student unions last night. Freedom of expression has limits and comes with responsibilities. It must never reach into promoting or justifying violence against unarmed civilians,” the university posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The York Federation of Students, York University Graduate Students Association, and Glendon College Student Union groups said in the statement that they support the Palestinian people and global diaspora “and their ongoing fight against settler-colonialism, apartheid, and genocide.”

“Recently, in a strong act of resistance, the Palestinian people tore down and crossed the illegitimate border fence erected by the settler-colonial apartheid state of so-called Israel,” the students wrote. “These resistance efforts are a direct response to the ongoing and violent occupation of Palestine.”

The student groups have not responded to requests for comment.

Toronto police said they’ve seen a rise in anti-Semitic attacks since the conflict between Hamas and Israel started on Oct. 7.

There have been 78 hate crimes reported in Toronto as of Nov. 23, the police news release said. That is compared to 37 for the same time period as last year.

Chief Myron Demkiw said 49 percent of the hate crimes reported up until Nov. 20 have been anti-Semitic.