Over one hundred York students and faculty members gathered outside of Vari Hall Wednesday afternoon to support imprisoned York professor and filmmaker John Greyson and emergency room physician Dr. Tarek Loubani.
The event, organized by the York University Faculty Association (YUFA), was done to raise awareness and pressure the Canadian government to take action.
“We think it’s very important to keep the situation of these men in the public eye,” says Craig Heron, vice-president external of YUFA. “It’s already been six weeks. They are not in good shape and without constant public pressure on the two governments involved here, then we’re not likely to get them out soon.”
The rally included speeches from close colleagues and students of Greyson and York President Mamdouh Shoukri, shedding light on the injustice of their situation in Egypt.
Shoukri says the fact that Greyson and Loubani have been held for so long without charge is unacceptable and hopes for a speedy resolution.
Throughout the day, leaflets, buttons, and postcards to send to the Canadian government were distributed for York students and staff to show their support.
Brenda Longfellow, a friend of Greyson and an associate professor at York, says her support comes from knowing Greyson was wrongly imprisoned and needs to be released.
“York is a community and we are all part of this community and when someone has been wrongly imprisoned or is in danger, we all must act,” says Longfellow.
So far two petitions have been started on LabourStart and Change.org. The petition on Change.org has garnished over 140,000 supporters. Heron hopes this rally will bring about more support in the next few days.
Victoria Alarcon
Senior Staff
