A referendum by McGill University’s Law Student Association calling for a formal boycott of Israeli postsecondary institutions has resulted in backlash and a court challenge, reports the Montreal Gazette. McGill President Deep Saini wrote to law students that the motion fell outside the LSA’s authority and therefore has no effect on the faculty’s academic or operational decisions. “While this referendum was supported by a majority of those who voted, I make no assumptions about their intent,” wrote Saini, “But in matters of discrimination, impact—not intent—governs.” In response to the referendum, the chair of the faculty’s advisory board Johnathan Amiel resigned and a Jewish student filed an application seeking provisional, interlocutory, and permanent injunctive relief against the student association.
