The continued praising of rape, torture, and kidnapping of Israeli people hasn’t served former Langara College professor Natalie Knight well.
On Friday, the Vancouver college published a statement saying that the English instructor and Indigenous curriculum consultant, who was filmed at an anti-Israel rally describing the October 7 Hamas attack as an “amazing, brilliant offensive,” had been dismissed.
“The amazing, brilliant offensive waged on October 7th.”
This is real, Natalie Knight at a Pro-Hamas rally in Vancouver, Canada.
To see people celebrate the massacre of Jews only a few minutes from where I grew up makes me sick to my stomach.@KenSimCity @CIJAinfo pic.twitter.com/gOFZEBrtpV
— Eli Kowaz – איליי קואז (@elikowaz) October 29, 2023
While it may seem that the pro-terror comments Knight made at the rally back in October would have been enough to get her off the teaching job, that isn’t exactly how the termination came to be.
Knight was placed on leave shortly after footage of her relishing in the Hamas terror attack began to make its rounds on social media. After an investigation, the college found that while they “condemned those comments,” Knight’s words “were not clearly outside the bounds of protected expression.”
Knight was permitted to return to work last week with the expectation that her future remarks would “not reasonably be interpreted as celebrating violence against civilians.”
CUPE supports the Hamas, rape slave approving terroist attack on Israel.
Sign our petition here to say you don’t.https://t.co/0lb4e4rFea pic.twitter.com/W7dcWiWGil
— Drea Humphrey – Prepping and Politics (@DreaHumphrey) October 8, 2023
“The employee proceeded to engage in activities contrary to the expectations laid out by the College, and as a result, this employee is no longer an employee of Langara College,” the college added.
The reason given for the termination appears to be from comments Knight was seen making at another anti-Israel rally last Tuesday, where she boasted by saying, “I’ve been reinstated as an instructor with no disciplinary actions, which means we won,” followed by cheers from the crowd. Knight celebrated furthermore by adding, “It means I did nothing wrong. It means none of you are doing anything wrong.”
A group called “United in Struggle” has rallied behind the disgraced professor in a letter protesting her termination and calling the concerns raised about Knight’s comments a “manufactured political firestorm.” The group also wrote that “Zionist organizations like the JFGV [Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver] and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) are using the tactics of conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, painting Palestinian resistance as terrorism, and attacking freedom of political expression.”
WE UPHOLD AND AFFIRM UNQUALIFIED SUPPORT FOR THE PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE AND POLITICAL SPEECH!
Statement on political attacks against Natalie Knight and the Palestinian struggle for liberation. All encouraged to circulate, sign as individuals & as orgs. https://t.co/daIw8mmgZf pic.twitter.com/4KWAtlQ1hJ
— United in Struggle (@UnitedNStruggle) November 2, 2023
In a statement posted on their website, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) wrote that they are gratified to learn of Knight’s termination and will continue working to ensure that campuses are safe environments for students, staff, and faculty from all backgrounds.
