The father of two Jewish students attending Western University in London, Ont. says his daughters remain courageous and will continue to be proud of their faith after a swastika was drawn near their off-campus home.
asserted
swastika → attend → home
“While I wanted to draw attention to the incident, I wanted to focus more on their response,” Darren Slavens told National Post on Monday.
asserted
Slavens → want → Monday
Instead of fear and intimidation, these kids have responded with courage and pride and that’s what our community needs right now.
asserted
community → respond → what
He added that he was happy for the support shown by non-Jewish allies.
asserted
he → add → allies
He posted a video to Instagram after the incident last week, believing that the swastika was drawn in the front yard of his daughters’ home.
asserted
swastika → post → home
He told National Post that he later learned that it was drawn next door.
asserted
it → tell → Post
In the video, he said he was “furious” that the community had to “deal with this garbage.”
asserted
community → say → garbage
He said it made his “blood boil” but he felt “unbelievable pride” in his daughters and their friends.
“To those who believe they can frighten Jewish students into hiding their identity, I’ve got news for you.
asserted
I → say → you
You’re dealing with the wrong generation,” he said.
asserted
he → deal → generation
Rather than victims, “our kids are growing up to be warriors.
asserted
kids → grow → victims
The incident occurred in the parking lot of off-campus housing for mostly Jewish students in downtown London.
asserted
incident → occur → London
Video footage shows a man spraying the pavement with liquid, drawing a Nazi swastika on the ground.
asserted
man → show → ground
“Chabad at Western’s Rabbis arrived on the scene within minutes to support Jewish students and ensure they felt safe and cared for,” said the statement.
asserted
statement → arrive → students
“They immediately contacted the London Police Service and the hate crime unit to help emphasize the urgency and seriousness of the incident, contributing to a swift police response.”
asserted
They → contact → response
Police said they were told that a man who was “completing construction work” in the city used equipment to create what appeared to be the Nazi symbol.
asserted
what → say → equipment
Police were provided with photos and videos of the incident from nearby residents.
asserted
Police → provide → residents
Jewish advocacy group The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said in a post on X that drawing the swastika was not only antisemitic, but was an “attack on the inclusive, democratic values that all Canadians share.”
asserted
Canadians → say → that
It was proud of the “students who responded with solidarity and defiance” and commended local police for acting quickly.
asserted
who → respond → police
However, they called for enforcement to be consistent nationwide and for extremism to be “stopped before it takes root.”
asserted
it → call → root
“We urge authorities at all levels to confront the radicalization spreading across our campuses and throughout the country, where antisemitic libels and conspiracies about Jews and Israelis fuel hatred, violence and even terrorism,” said CIJA.
asserted
CIJA → urge → hatred
Meanwhile, Slavens — who posts frequently about Israel and Zionism — said he’s used to receiving hate mail and hate comments, but this time he said there was a number of people giving their support, which he called “heartwarming.”
asserted
he → post → which
“I still hold the university and universities across this country responsible.
asserted
university → hold → country
They are a key source of the dehumanization of Jews through allowing the lie of genocide, the lie of apartheid, and the Free Palestine movements to flourish on campus,” he said.
asserted
he → allow → campus
“Something must be done in this country to stop the tropes on campus and on social media, and this event has shown me our kids have the courage and the knowledge to continue this fight against Jew hate”
asserted
kids → do → hate
Western University did not immediately respond to National Post’s request for comment.
asserted
University → respond → comment
Later that month, a 19-year-old Whitby man was arrested for making threats online to shoot up a synagogue.
asserted
man → arrest → synagogue
Less than a week later, a 33-year-old Kitchener man was arrested for making antisemitic comments online “directed at members of the Jewish community.”
asserted
man → arrest → community
The Aporia
