UVic launches investigation into alleged anti-Ukrainian harassment on campus
The University of Victoria is looking into recent reports of harassment towards members of the Ukrainian Students Society.
On Thursday, the University of Victoria Students Society (UVSS) released a statement saying the harassment occurred during its Clubs and Course Union Days.
"The UVIC Students’ Society condemns the acts of hate being perpetrated against Ukrainian students on campus," reads the statement.
The UVSS Student Union Building is shown. (CTV News)"These acts of violence were influenced by the current Russian invasion of Ukraine, which we also condemn," the statement adds.
"We stand in solidarity with Ukrainian students, many of whom have been affected more severely by this war than most of us can fathom."
The Ukrainian Student Society tells CTV News that concerning incidents have been occurring since the fall.
The USS claims that another club at UVic, the Young Communist League (YCL), had taken a photo of one of their posters during a UVic club fair day and posted it to its Facebook page, claiming that the USS supported fascism and anti-Semitism in September.
The USS says it contacted UVic and the UVSS about the incident but that both organizations said they were unable to intervene and that the club should try to resolve the issue with the YCL on its own.
On Jan. 18 and 19, during another club fair day event at UVic, the USS says members were yelled at and that the phrase "Nazi scum" was written on some club materials, though it's not clear who was responsible.
Following more complaints in January, the University of Victoria said it was aware of the allegations in a statement Thursday.
Then, one day later, UVic president Kevin Hall said an investigation into the complaints had been launched.
"I want to assure the university community—as well as those who have provided comments from further away—that we are taking action to address the discriminatory, harassing behaviour that some of our students have been experiencing on campus," he said in a statement Friday.
The goal of the investigation is to identify people involved in the incidents and to support a "safer, more inclusive campus," according to Hall.
The Ukrainian Student Society is now calling on UVic and the UVSS to review their policies on how clubs operate at the school.
The USS also wants the UVSS board of directors to receive additional training on how to recognize and respond to hate speech and harassment.
USS member Anastasiya Ishchook tells CTV News that while the statements from UVic and the UVSS last week are appreciated, no one has contacted the USS yet about what actions will be taken to address the allegations.
'SLANDEROUS REMARKS'
The Young Communist League tells CTV News that it denies the claims that the YCL ever harassed the USS, with member Tyson Strandlund describing the allegations as "slanderous remarks."
"No member of the YCL-LJC has ever 'accosted' another UVic student, nor have they made threats, carried out violent acts, or anything else which the UVic Ukrainian Students Society are accusing them of," he said in a statement Monday.
He says in September, a YCL member did take a photo of a USS banner, but only after receiving permission from a member of the USS.
Strandlund says the banner had the motto "Glory to Ukraine. Glory to heroes," written in Ukrainian. The phrase is often associated with an anti-Semitic figure from Ukraine in the 1930s.
The motto has also had a recent resurgence in a different context after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.
In the days since the complaints were made, Strandlund says that he and the YCL have received threatening messages and personal details released online.
He says the YCL is an inclusive group that is calling for a "peaceful political settlement to the war in Ukraine."
The university said it had resources available to support students, such as the UVic equity and human rights website, if they are interested.
The UVSS also highlighted some of its resources, such as the UVSS peer support centre.
Correction
This story has been updated to clarify a reference to the phrase "glory to Ukraine, glory to heroes."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Former Air Canada employees among suspects identified in gold heist at Pearson Airport: police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
MPs summon ArriveCan contractor to the House to be admonished in rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archaeological site in southwest France.
10 years in U.S. prison for Canadian man who stole millions with fake psychic fraud
A former Montreal resident has been sentenced to 10 years in a United States federal prison for a multi-decade fraud that manipulated more than one million Americans into sending money to fake psychics.
'Enormous sum of money': Actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against tabloid
British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, he said on Wednesday.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.