OP-ED: How a professor was destroyed for supporting Israel
Sue-Ann Levy writes, "Almost exactly two years ago, following the atrocities of Oct. 7, college professor Paul Finlayson made what he thought was a fair comment on Linkedin."
Author: Sue-Ann Levy
Almost exactly two years ago, following the atrocities of Oct. 7, college professor Paul Finlayson made what he thought was a fair comment on Linkedin.
He dared compare the Hamas terrorists — which killed, murdered and raped repeatedly 1,200 innocent Israelis and took another 250 hostage— to Nazis.
His comment, he says, was in response to a random educator in Pakistan who “openly called for the eradication of Israel.” He argues that it was directed at Hamas and not Palestinians.
Finlayson, a sessional lecturer at the University of Guelph-Humber College, is not even Jewish.
Nevertheless, what followed was two years of terror and institutional isolation for the instructor of social media marketing — in what appears to be a more than $1-million and concerted campaign to silence him — during which time he was subject to a suspension, silence and abusive treatment, completely fabricated and defamatory allegations and repeated threats by a phalanx of highly paid lawyers from Lerner’s LLP in London led by Danielle Doueck, corporate lawyer Gita Anand (federal minister Anita Anand’s elder sister), her managing partner Rhonda Cohen and her associate Reilly Everitt-Cunningham (all of them she-hers) and even threats of arrest by the campus security head, Nancy Deason.
After keeping him on tenterhooks for 20 months, he was fired by a letter from Guelph this past July 7 and from Humber on July 11.
Both, one written by an underling of Spence and another from a provost in another department, alleged “gross misconduct” and violations of the Human Rights Code.
They did not spell out what those violations exactly were or under what section they fell.
His cowardly accusers didn’t even extend the courtesy of meeting with him in person.
In fact he said he never met Wael Ramadan, the professor who initiated the complaint against him, or Melanie Spence-Ariemma, the v-p provost at Guelph-Humber, who took carriage of Ramadan’s complaints. She apparently knew Ramadan from her previous job at Sheridan College.
Spence-Ariemma did not pen his suspension letter of Nov. 27, 2023 or his termination letters of this past July.
In addition to the sheer cruelty of his detractors, his story is proof of how our woke government-subsidized institutions operate as entities unto themselves, with little government oversight (especially from the Ford government); how mob rule and abuse of power operates to silence someone who doesn’t fit their narrative or doesn’t fade into the woodwork in response to their bullying.
His accusers threw all the legal muscle and phoney allegations at him they could manage, never substantiating any of the allegations with actual names or proof of the supposedly harassing e-mails he was said to have sent to various members of the college staff.
Spence-Ariemma was represented by Doueck after she filed a human rights and harassment claim with the Human Rights Tribunal. She did so even though Finlayson says he never once met or interacted with her.
In it she alleged that his Linkedin post was “racist and inciting” and that unnamed students allegedly were “scared” when they saw the post online.
No proof was ever provided of those students and as someone who uses LinkedIn, I would say one would have to look very hard to find anyone’s post.
Even those who should have helped him —including CIJA’s (a Jewish advocacy group) Legal Task Force — backed off.
Finlayson admitted that he has had his moments but he has suffered from severe PTSD and wrestles with ADHD.
For weeks I tried to get comments from Anand, spelling out Finlayson’s concerns in detail. She ignored my requests as did her managing partner Rhonda Cohen. The same goes for Ramadan, who blocked me on social media after I reached out to him.
Doueck also never gave me the courtesy of even a reply when I asked her to provide me proof of the harassing e-mails Finlayson allegedly sent to her client.
Only the University of Guelph responded with a very antiseptic comment.
“The University of Guelph does not comment on matters related to employees…The Univeristy is committed to a campus free of discrimination and harassment and is dedicated to human equality and academic freedom.”
I guess acadmic freedom depends on who is doing the judging at the University of Guelph.
It became abundantly clear how all the main players run for cover — after ruining a man’s life — not caring one bit about being accountable or following a fair and equitable process.
Finlayson thought there would be nothing wrong to say on LinkedIn that he stands with Israel or to compare Hamas to Nazis — or to say that those who celebrate Hamas as heroes want dead Jews and don’t want peace.
Given the toxic hate that has been spewed at my community for the past two years and the clear objective of the many protests in Toronto and other major Canadian centres (to eradicate Israel), his comments were remarkably prescient.
But apparently two years ago his comment caught the eye of Sheridan College business professor, Ramadan, whose Israeli hatred and obsessive anti-semitism is repeatedly apparent on X and on Linkedin.
Finlayson feels he was targeted for dismissal from the day Ramadan got in the act.
It seems Guelph-Humber, like many universities and Ivy League schools, have adopted a shameless double standard.
Jews and Zionists, bad. Terrorist sympathizers, fine.
For two years Ramadan regularly reposted rabid Jew hating comments and propaganda of Mondoweiss, Sarah Wilkinson, Quds Network and others, with impunity.
After I tried to contact him for comment, he endeavoured to block me.
He still tweets under @WaelRamadan1948 but has shortened the name associated with his address to W JR.
Ironically as Finlayson was being tarred and feathered for his Nazi comment, Ramadan posted this:
Just before and after the ceasefire was declared, he continued to post his Jew-hatred on his Linkedin page. He claims his views are “personal” but includes the Sheridan College logo plus his title:
Finlayson says CUPE filed a “narrow wrongful dismissal claim” and OPSEU not only did nothing but accused him of a “hate crime” (which is typical of the Jew-hating unions).
Anand spent 20 months, he said, investigating him but only met with him once for just under two hours by Zoom. Finlayson said she never accepted any of his defence documents, In fact, he was informed that unless he signed a non-confidentiality document, he would receive “no defence.”
At one point she demanded in writing that he disclose all contacts with “Jew organizations.” He refused but said he was shocked with the request.
Her highly flawed report was used to fire him.
At 61, Finlayson’s life has been turned upside down and has been made an example simply for supporting Israel and the Jews.
Sadly, this is what is happening in our university and college institutions which are embedded with woke and Islamist thinking.
Until and unless we have strong leaders to stand up for what’s right—and expose this insanity — good people will continue to be targeted by those who lack a moral compass.
There are actually more lawyers out there that the university has hired; I forgot a few. I went from being Mr Popular, voted professor of the year (if you count votes in a shout-out, more than the rest of the department combined—I recorded it before they could pull it off their server), writing four texts, to being thrown off campus like a piece of garbage, and becoming a non-human.
Within hours students called me alarmed and one sent in texts, staff and faculty had been instructed by management to tell students that the reason I had been suddenly suspended was not because I had said I stood with Israel and enraged a violent anti semite professor who was great friends with the Vice Provost, but because I had been arrested for assault, and more horrible things. Yes, the facts point to the VP, Ramadan and others conspiring to destroy my reputation. I have screenshots, the social trail, and evidence, but nobody (except a few like Sue Ann) will listen. When I asked management to stop the defamation, they refused. When I asked the staff who was doing it, they threatened to have me arrested for bothering her. I have letters and screenshots affirming this.
Still, when your union has abandoned you (in writing) and they are your legal representative, you can't do anything. We think that Canada is so great, it isn't; there is no judicial fairness at the university level, none. Their case is horrible, even comical. They knew that the rampant defamation (it spread like a forest fire, and yes, it was created, not by students, but by my management.
Ramadan got over 50K persons online to hear me called a racist and Nazi, and to write to management urging me to be fired. The greatest pain is defamation. I was so kind to Muslim students, and to have these lies told - and there are many more than I will say here.
The PTSD is completely medically verified, it's defamation caused, and they will get away with it.
You can't sue a multi-million dollar university. They have spent hundreds of thousands, and perhaps they will end up over a million, while I spent $3,500. All my crap lawyer did was copy my document and submit an appeal that was rejected without being read.
If you want to read more, go to my Substack; it's all there: www.freedomtoffend.com.
I don't know if there is much fight left in me.
The legal options are few. I am so easily triggered; it comes after almost two years fighting off two unions and five lawyers and being utterly shunned, while your entire community is told that if you contact them, they are to report you to management.
I have two kids, a wife, and this is hard on them, too.
We will survive, but I will be down about $2,000,000. I am still shocked at the viciousness and the hate of these lawyers, the VP and her sycophants. They are horrible, simply horrible, so cruel and so heartless.
I said I stood with Israel, I thought that was normal, but it sent the university into a wild rage. And they will win. I regret nothing, but I am exhausted and, for the sake of my health, think I should end the fight.
These people are monsters. If you want to read more, please check out my Substack at www.freedomtoffend.com. It's my main income now, but most articles are free, with many published in the Globe and other countries. I wrote this song to describe defamation and arranged it with AI. https://suno.com/s/tHTFsPa5LsKtgEvt
Ms Levy .... This has to be one of the most terrifying articles I have ever read. It leaves my bone marrow icy cold. My 10 great grandchildren will suffer the most from the crimes perpetrated by these despicable so-called people. Do not stop writing, someone has to keep us aware of these moral killings.