Western University defends investigation into pro-Palestinian group chat that included antisemitic messages

Western University is defending its handling of an investigation into a private pro-Palestinian group chat that allegedly contained students and local activists sharing antisemitic messages.

A National Post report  in early September revealed students and local London, Ont., activists shared antisemitic cartoons and Hitler memes in a WhatsApp group in the weeks following the October 7 attacks. Jewish students filed an anonymous complaint with the university, but the investigation stalled after Western demanded they identify themselves.

The university said Wednesday that the opaque nature of the complaint prevented the university from conducting a thorough investigation. “We must reiterate that the university reviews all complaints of hate-based misconduct,” spokesman Stephen Ledgley wrote in the university’s first public comment since the Post story was published.

“We reviewed the complaint immediately and the materials brought forward in 2024 anonymously through a lawyer. After several exchanges with the lawyer, where we asked for additional information, we determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a full investigation based on the information provided.”

Western’s defence comes even as several alumni and parents within the Western community have shared their concerns with the university following the Post story.

Dean Lavi, the executive director of Jewish London , part of the United Jewish Federation (UJA), said the messages in the group chat revealed a deeply concerning escalation of antisemitic speech seen in recent years.

“There’s no hiding anymore. It’s, ‘We need to take action against the Yahoodis (Jews) in our town, in our community, in our universities,’” he said, quoting messages published in the Post story. “I believe the university needs to become consistent in how it deals with issues of student violence, with issues of violence and hateful rhetoric on campus.”

Western university could not verify the authors of the hateful posts, the spokesman said.

“It’s important to note the evidence provided was centred on unverified and easily editable text files, making it impossible to authenticate the full or exact nature of the original content,” Ledgley said, elaborating that a named witness was required in order to provide important context about “the origins of the text files, whether the text files were altered in any way, as well as other questions that could only be answered by the individual who obtained the text files.”

He added that, “in addition to that barrier, the chat alone provided little identifying detail…. Individuals participating in the private chat group often used screen names, and without further corroborating evidence it would be extremely difficult to reliably connect these screen names to Western students.”

The university spokesman did not respond to whether Western cross-checked the phone numbers and names visible within the chat with the university’s database. Ledgley reaffirmed that Western remained willing to receive “more information,” but underscored that the “layers of anonymity in this issue continue to impair our ability to investigate.” He said the lawyer representing the complaint, Jonathan Rosenthal, “refused to provide anyone who could answer these questions.”

“Despite our efforts to communicate via the lawyer and request he identify any current students alleged to be in violation of the Code of Conduct, at no time did he identify any student by name as being responsible for alleged misconduct,” he said. Ledgley did not address the Post’s request for comment about an email Rosenthal sent the university in September 2024 in which he named a teaching assistant on campus, whom he alleged was involved in the group chat.

Alumni and parents have received similar messages from the administration.

“Unfortunately, the recent article in the National Post did not reflect the significant actions the University has taken in reviewing and responding to the allegations outlined in the article.  Western takes concerns related to student safety, conduct and well-being very seriously,” Emily Bruce, a spokeswoman in the university president’s office, wrote to one concerned alumnus, according to an email shared with the Post. The spokeswoman sent a similarly worded email to another. She called the comments unearthed in the group chat “very troubling,” but said the “Post’s implication that Western University took insufficient action is inaccurate. Western investigates all concerns related to student safety, conduct, and well-being — and this case is no different.”

Jay Solomon, the chief advancement officer with Hillel Ontario, a Jewish cultural group on campus, called on Western to take decisive action.

“The messages in this chat group are vile and deeply disturbing,” Solomon wrote the Post. “In direct discussions with university leadership, Hillel Ontario has made it clear that Western must act swiftly and decisively, and must condemn this hate. Unfortunately, to date, the administration’s response has been inadequate,” he added.

In a public letter  published shortly after the Post story, Western Hillel called on the “university and the London Police Service to launch immediate and thorough investigations into this matter, and to hold accountable those who spread this dangerous hate.”

Ana Steiner, a Western alum, said she wasn’t surprised reading the Post story and that it confirmed for her what she had been seeing across Canadian campuses since the Hamas invasion of Israel.

Steiner had raised her concerns with Western before the Post story, but said that the only response she received “was a complete form letter of ‘We tolerate free speech.’ There was no engagement.” Steiner said she made similar efforts with members of the Board of Governors, but those “were also unsuccessful.”

“Lack of response, lack of action, lack of demonstrating that their student safety is truly a concern,” she said, describing Western’s handling of the situation. “I wish I would have seen anything from the administration.”

Western sociology professor Howard Ramos  said he felt the university was using concerns of privacy or anonymity as a shield.

“The university has a lot of tools at hand,” he said, adding that Western could have at least “alerted the community that this has been going on.”

“To this day, I can say I have gotten zero email from the university, zero email from my dean, zero email from my chair letting me know about this very basic thing,” he said.

“I can only imagine how people feel who are Jewish or Israeli, especially at the time of the High Holidays. I feel offended as a non-Jew that nothing has been done, and I would feel the same offence if I heard that the same kind of claims were raised against any other group on campus. It’s very important for the university to be clear and forceful on what is the conduct of being a student in the university.”

• Milton, Ont., councillor files complaint with police over 'illegal' anti-Israel protest
• What pro-Palestinian students and allies say when they think no one is watching

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