[antiwar-van] Public Forum: Women, Harassment and Abuse: Lift the Ban on the ‘Langara 2’!

Tue Nov 2 11:36:21 PST 2004

Public Forum: 

Women, Harassment and Abuse: 

Lift the Ban on the ‘Langara 2’!

Is LSU Executive Really Representing Students? Why Nicole Burton and Kira Daley were Banned from LSU Property

November 3rd 2004

11:30am
Langara College
Room B016

On October 25, 2004 at the Langara Student’s Union (LSU – not a member of Canadian Federation of Students) Executive Meeting two student activists, Nicole Burton and Kira Daley, were banned from the LSU property, following the submission of their complaint of intimidation, harassment and abuse by LSU staff person, Resource Coordinator, Richard Bell. 

On October 20, in an LSU Peace and Social Issues (PSI) Committee meeting, Richard Bell harassed and verbally abused Nicole Burton (elected PSI Coordinator) and Kira Daley in front of other students; telling them to “Shut up!” and silencing their participation in the meeting through verbally violent language and intimidation tactics. Daley and Burton filed a complaint with the LSU Executive and asked for help and investigation into the attack on them. This complaint included statements from three Langara Students who were present at the meeting and witness the abuse, in addition Burton and Daley received a fourth witness statement from a college staff member who was present at the meeting.

At the LSU Executive Board meeting on October 25, 2004 the harassment charge against Richard Bell was not dealt with. Instead, some members of the LSU executive prepared an attack focused on the Vancouver coalition Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) which Burton and Daley are members of, as well as MAWO member group Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice which Daley and Burton are not members of. 

No documentation or evidence was ever presented to the meeting to substantiate the accusations against Daley and Burton or the groups targeted, and unfortunately the Peace and Social Issues Committee disputed issues were never discussed or addressed properly and democratically. 

Instead some members of the LSU executive asked six speakers; two students from Langara, two instructors with Langara College, one “Gleaner” newspaper staff member and one former LSU student and current SFU student, to present as witnesses and gave them each a long period of time to attack Nicole Burton and Kira Daley.

This process was conducted without prior notification that the process had been initiated or proper representation (in this case no representation), from Nicole Burton and Kira Daley, which makes this decision undemocratic, against their human rights and is consequently invalid.

The first presentation from this panel was made by Bradley Hughes, a Langara college Instructor and well-know organizer with International Socialists. He leveled an attack on Mobilization Against War and Occupation through attacking MAWO member group, Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice. This presentation had no relavency to Kira Daley and Nicole Burton and was rather an opportunistic attack against MAWO. 

During this kangaroo-court, Nicole Burton, who is a Jewish woman, was accused of anti-Semitism by Kinnie Butterfield, President of the Israel Advocacy Committee (IAC) at Langara College. IAC is a pro-Zionist organization that promotes a Zionist perspective and the suppression of Palestinians by the Israeli government. 

Another presenter, Nicolas Brown, who is an SFU student, chastised Burton and Daley with sexist remarks, stating that bringing charges of harassment against women “demonstrates a lack in maturity of thought and an infantile political and social analysis”. In addition, Nicolas Brown referred to October 22, when Burton made a report of the harassment to campus security and was subsequently accompanied by security to the LSU office to deliver the complaint of harassment against women. To this he stated that the woman’s actions were “ridiculous, bizarre, and hypocritical”, based on his argument that “campus security, [is] an institute synonymous with being utilized against social activism on campuses”.

Another presenter, Jennifer Vasco, brought allegations that Langara Student’s Union funds were used illegally by Burton and Daley through the LSU Peace and Social Issues Committee. No financial documentation was provided to prove this. In fact, if the Student’s Union Executive had left space for a defense it would have become very clear, that according to their records, no money whatsoever was spent from the Peace and Social Issues Committee Budget during the time Daley and Burton sat on the committee. All expenses during this period were paid by Nicole Burton in the interest of expediency and any reimbursement from the LSU was to be requested and decided on by the Langara Student’s Union Executive. 

It is very unfortunate that although these presenters and the groups they represent, have political differences, they all lined up with reactionary Zionists against MAWO. This shows the true opportunism of their political attack. 

In addition, an LSU executive stated in a press release issued by the LSU Executive, on October 26 2004, that “there was an apparent take-over of the PSI committee where work that had been done was scrapped and a MAWO agenda was instead pursued.”. The last minutes of the PSI committee, preceding Nicole Burton’s election as Coordinator of the committee, were from 3 months prior (April 5th 2004), and as a result there were no active campaigns to be “scrapped”. 

The LSU Executive then punished the complainants; banning Nicole Burton and Kira Daley from the LSU property citing concerns of “defamation”, “security” and “well-being”. In fact this undemocratic and premeditated meeting was designed to lynch two women activists and members of PSI. Only three weeks ago these women and PSI had successfully organized the Student Week Against War and Occupation which brought more than 250 students to four events on Langara campus within 5 days; events which exposed the US/UK war and occupation in Iraq and advocated for self-determination for oppressed nations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Haiti and Indigenous nations in Canada. 

It is important to mention that in recent weeks there were many “complaints” from some executives of the LSU that Kira Daley and Nicole Burton were “radicalizing” the PSI committee and the campus, and that this generated political polarization and has established “antagonism” among students. 

Through kicking Kira Daley and Nicole Burton off the LSU property, the LSU is evading the serious issue of sexist attacks and harassment of women. Rather, the LSU is conducting a smear campaign against the victims of this abuse, and silencing the demand for accountability.

Also the LSU Executive, with this decision of banning Kira Daley and Nicole Burton is violating their own policy and mandate as advocates and representatives of Langara students. The LSU is in fact and in practice refusing service to their paying student members. 

The LSU Executive is the employer of Resource Coordinator Richard Bell and has disciplinary jurisdiction over him, through avoiding the complaint they are denying student’s right to recourse and investigation in this matter. The LSU executive is once again avoiding the central issue of abuse against women by Richard Bell through their unjustified protection of him, through avoiding taking any position on Richard’s sexist behavior and through not conducting an investigation into the charges. 

The serious issue of harassment of students by LSU staff person Richard Bell will not be silenced by a ban on Kira and Nicole from LSU property. Kira and Nicole will pursue these charges through other avenues, until they are confident that they can attend classes and continue activist work free from harassment and abuse. Richard Bell must be investigated and held accountable for his sexist and abusive behavior. A precedent must be set to deal with Richard Bell and his long history of abuse, harassment, violence and assault against students and women. Kira Daley, Nicole Burton and all students must be able to pursue their education and activities free from harassment, attacks and intimidation. 

Based on the undemocratic nature of the LSU executive meeting and its inhuman and undemocratic decision, all the bans on Kira Daley and Nicole Burton must be lifted immediately. 

We encourage all students, women and people who believe in social justice and democratic rights to write to the Langara Students Union Executive Board and protest the banning of Nicole Burton and Kira Daley, and to demand that that the charges of harassment by Richard Bell be investigated and that Richard Bell be held accountable for his actions. 

Attend our forum at Langara: 

November 3rd 2004, 

Langara College, 

Room B016, 11:30am.

In Solidarity,

The Langara 2 Defense Committee

thelangara2 at yahoo.com

778 881 6156

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