Concordia University in Montreal is under fire after Mathematics Professor Chantal David is alleged to have called for the murder of her “hardcore Zionist Colleagues”.
In a viral Instagram post being shared widely, David allegedly commented under a CJPME social-media post, “My hardcore Zionist colleagues (kill them all, as they say).” The comment set off a firestorm among Jewish organizations demanding an investigation. Screenshots of the post spread rapidly, sparking calls for her dismissal and for Concordia to take a public stance against antisemitism within its own faculty.
Concordia does not stand alone. At McGill University, political science professor William Clare Roberts faced outrage earlier this year after he posted messages on X that mocked and vilified Zionists and minimized the suffering of Israeli victims following the October 7 massacre. His online comments, which described Zionists as “oppressors” and equated Israel with “colonial violence,” drew condemnation from Jewish groups and McGill alumni who said such statements cross the line from political commentary into hate speech.
McGill has been under pressure before. In 2017, Igor Sadikov, then a McGill student and teaching assistant, was forced to resign from the Students’ Society after tweeting “punch a Zionist today.” Though years have passed, the slogan continues to circulate on campus and has reappeared in chants at demonstrations since the Hamas attack last year. Jewish students say these patterns create a sense of normalized hostility that administrators have failed to address.
Both universities have avoided directly naming the professors in their public responses. Concordia released a short statement condemning violence and “disturbing social-media posts” but did not comment on disciplinary measures. McGill’s administration has similarly issued broad condemnations of hate speech while insisting on the importance of academic freedom. To many students, those words ring hollow when staff or professors appear to target members of their own community.
Jewish and Zionist students on both campuses describe a climate of fear. Some report hiding Star of David necklaces or avoiding Hebrew conversations in public areas. Others have said that professors make disparaging remarks about Israel in class, leaving them unsure whether speaking up will affect their grades or social standing. Alumni groups and community leaders are calling for external investigations, arguing that universities cannot be trusted to police themselves on issues of antisemitism.
Montreal’s two flagship universities are now facing growing scrutiny for how they balance free expression and student safety. Each incident, taken alone, could be dismissed as an isolated lapse of judgment. Together, they suggest a deeper rot in the culture of tolerance that universities claim to defend. As Concordia and McGill weigh their next steps, Jewish students wait for proof that their institutions will protect them not in words, but in action.
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