Chinese students’ association loses status at Canadian university after protest of Uygur activist’s talk was allegedly coordinated with Chinese consulate
- Student agency at McMaster University in Ontario took action after the chapter spearheaded a campaign against a talk given on campus by activist Rukiye Turdush
- The group’s alleged coordination with the Chinese consulate was deemed to be in violation of student union regulations
The student union at a Canadian university has revoked the club status of the school’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) after an appeal by students seeking to decertify the group over concerns about alleged links to the Chinese government.
Objection to the CSSA’s official status at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, near Canada’s largest city Toronto, stemmed from a protest campaign it spearheaded in February in response to a talk given on campus by Rukiye Turdush, a Uygur activist.
More than 1 million Uygurs and other ethnic minority groups are believed to be detained in mass internment camps in China’s northwest and subject to political indoctrination. Beijing describes the facilities as vocational training centres.
The association issued an open letter objecting to the university’s invitation to Turdush, reported the event to the Chinese consulate in Toronto and sent footage of the talk to Chinese officials at their request, The Washington Post reported at the time.
Those actions were deemed on Sunday by the McMaster University student union’s governing body, the Student Representative Assembly (SRA), to be in violation of student union regulations.
