Confrontation at Concordia (2003)

Confrontation at Concordia is a documentary film by Martin Himel which documents the September 2002 protest at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. The film chronicles how pro-Palestinian student activists staged a direct action aimed to cancel the former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address on campus. The talk by the prime minister had been organized by Hillel, a Jewish student organization.

The documentary portrays the events that took place in a negative light, and reportedly contributed to the ensuing media debate over them. The Concordia Student Union (CSU) responded by taking legal action against its producer.



^ Stein, Howard (2005). "The debate on Canadian campuses: bringing back democracy and the spirit of scholarship". Inroads: A Journal of Opinion. Winter-Spring.

^ Confrontation @ Concordia (CAMERA)

^ Martin Himmel. Confrontation at Concordia (documentary). Transcript (Appendix A to CIII-TV (Global Television) re Confrontation at Concordia (CBSC Decision 02/03-1340, -1368, -1514 and -1530, April 26, 2004))

Synopsis

The documentary opens with scenes of the violence at the event, depicting fighting between protesters and Jewish students attempting to enter the venue. This is followed by an interview with student Samir Elitrosh, a leader of the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights and the leader of anti-Israel violence who was later suspended. It also features interviews with Concordia's Hillel president Yoni Petel and Concordia rector Frederick Lowy, and concludes with a discussion of what it sees as the growing trend of anti-Israel activities on North American campuses.