With Doug Ford’s so-called “Free Speech Directive”, democracy on Campus is under severe attack.

Despite its name, purposely chosen to confuse people, this directive has little to do with freedom of speech. Instead, it is crafted to open universities’ doors wide open for ultra-right forces to propagate their bigoted and inflammatory speech, targeting progressive student groups and people, including student and labour unions on campus, and jeopardizing the independence of universities.

With this directive, people such as Jordan Peterson and Lindsay Shepherd will have more space to propagate their pseudo-scientific ideas on campus without being challenged. This is a dangerous step towards the trivialization of xenophobic, racist, misogynist and homophobic ideas. Furthermore, ultra-right organisations such as ‘proud boys’, anti-choice, racist groups and others will be able to mobilise on campus, intimidating marginalized students such as LGBTQ+ and racialized people without resistance.

The real aim of this directive is to muzzle progressive groups on campus who refuse that universities become platforms for the ultra-right, but also those who struggle for students’ rights such as free, public, emancipatory and democratic education. The fact is that the right to organise is at the core of freedom of speech. Yet, it is this right that this policy is attacking.

If the directive passes without resistance, this will create a dangerous precedent. It would send a clear signal to Doug Ford’s government and to all reactionary forces throughout the country that they can go ahead with similar attacks on democracy. In a time where we are witnessing the rise of fascist groups, where reactionary forces have the wind in their sails, this represents a real danger for the youth and progressive people.

There is nothing to be negotiated nor amended in this policy. It has to be rejected all at once.

This is why we, the undersigned groups and individuals, call for a broad, united and strong mobilization on November 29th throughout Ontario to resist Doug Ford’s ‘Free Speech Directive’ and to defend democracy on campus. We call on student and labour unions, progressive community and campus groups as well as all individual who stand with the democratic right to protest on campus to endorse the call and to mobilise for strong actions on November 29th.

We cannot let our universities become display cases for the ultra-right. To the opposite: students have always played a progressive role in society, and it is time to perpetuate this long-standing tradition of resistance. The student mobilisation at Ryerson has forced the Senate to postpone discussions about implementing the ‘Free speech’ directive – which they accurately describe as an “anti-protest bill”. This shows that mobilisation pays and that we can win a considerable battle in the resistance against Ford’s pro-corporate and reactionary agenda.

To endorse the Day of Action, you are invited to fill in this survey: https://goo.gl/forms/slj6hgA4ba7LX1az2