Samantha Pearson, director of an assistance center for victims of sexual assault at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, signed a pro-Palestinian petition questioning the rape committed by Hamas murderers during the massacre in the south.
The petition signed by Pearson was written by several members of parliament in Canada about three days after the terrible massacre. The petition calls on the local politicians to support the Palestinians and condemn the genocide committed by Israel against them. In their letter, the drafters of the petition accused the Canadian government of believing the Israeli army that it did not attack the hospitals in Gaza and repeated the unverified accusation that the Palestinians committed sexual violence during the attack in the south.
Pearson's signature on the petition sparked outrage on social media and among the Jewish community in Edmonton and northern Alberta. The Twitter account belonging to the community raised the question: "Shouldn't a sexual assault center believe all the victims, and not just the non-Jewish claims?"
The president of the university: "The director was fired, we recognize the damage of anti-Semitism"
As a result, the university management fired Pearson from her position. In a statement issued by Bill Flanagan, the university's president, he wrote that "the recent improper and unauthorized use of the name of the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Center has raised understandable concerns among members of our community and the public. Effective immediately, the director of the center is no longer employed by the university. On behalf of the university, I apologize for the hurt and distress caused by this issue to members of our community and beyond."
"I want to make it clear," Flanagan emphasized, "that the personal views of the former employee do not in any way represent those of the University of Alberta. The University of Alberta stands firmly and unequivocally against discrimination and hatred based on religion, race, ethnicity, national origin and other protected categories. We recognize the historical and ongoing damages of anti-Semitism and pledge to do everything we can as a university to promote a world free of prejudice and discrimination."
