MCLC: Toronto protests against Confucius Institutes

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Timothy J.T. Pi <timothy.pi at gmail.com>
Subject: Toronto protests against Confucius Institutes
***********************************************************

Source: Epoch Times (6/12/14):
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/730001-concerned-parents-activists-protest-
against-confucius-institutes-in-toronto-schools/

Concerned Parents, Activists Protest against Confucius Institutes in
Toronto Schools

Hundreds of concerned parents and human rights activists gathered outside
the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) on Wednesday to urge the board,
which at the same time was holding a meeting, not to initiate a Confucius
Institute program in Toronto schools.

The protesters wore black tape over their mouths to symbolize the Chinese
regime’s censorship, which they say finds its way into the curriculum
taught in the institutes.

The controversial Confucius Institutes (CIs) are branded as promoting
Chinese language and culture. However, they have been cited by
intelligence agencies as organizations used by the Chinese communist
regime to extend its soft power. The institutes are funded and controlled
by the Chinese regime.

The agenda for the TDSB committee meeting, which was attended by a limited
number of trustees, was amended to discuss the issue of bringing CIs to
the TDSB.

The trustees heard from a number of concerned parents as well as
representatives from Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong), a spiritual
discipline persecuted by the Chinese communist regime, and the Tibetan
community, who raised concerns about the Chinese regime having some degree
of control in Toronto’s education system.

Sonia Zhao, who came to Canada from China to work at the McMaster
University CI, told the trustees how she and other CI instructors were
required to sign a contract promising not to practice Falun Dafa. Zhao,
who is a Falun Dafa practitioner, filed a human rights complaint with the
Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, alleging discrimination in hiring by the
institute. McMaster eventually decided to sever its ties with the CI over
the institute’s hiring practices.

Another speaker pointed out that Li Changchun, the former propaganda chief
of the Chinese Communist Party, has called CIs “an important part of
China’s overseas propaganda setup.”

A stipulation listed on the website of the Hunan City University in China
for CI candidates wanting to come to Toronto to teach says that
“candidates will be assessed to ensure they meet political ideology
requirements.”
Sheila Ward, trustee for Toronto Centre-Rosedale, said she was very
concerned about the issues raised by the parents.

“It’s not for the parents to have to prove. It’s up to us to prove to them
[that] their concerns are taken seriously and we have good answers for the
questions they have given us,” Ward said.

After a lengthy session, the trustees voted to adopt a motion raised by
Willowdale trustee Mari Rutka to suspend the CI until the board conducts
an investigation into CIs. The decision needs to be discussed and voted on
again at the next TDSB meeting on June 18 before being implemented.

“There is a lot of support and a lot of trustees saying we need more
information because what the speakers brought to the table really has
alerted them to some of the potential issues that they were totally
unaware of,” said Michael Lewis, one of the protest organizers.

Lewis, whose daughter is a Toronto public school student, started a
campaign opposing the CIs after learning about the controversy surrounding
them. An online petition posted on a website Lewis launched for the
campaign, SayNoToCI.ca, has gathered over 600 signatures in one week, he
says. 

Last December, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT)
issued a statement 
<http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/426346-canadas-association-of-university-t
eachers-calls-on-universities-to-close-confucius-institutes/?sidebar=relate
d-left> urging universities and colleges to cut their ties with CIs,
saying they are “subsidized and supervised by the authoritarian government
of China.”

“They restrict the free discussion of topics Chinese authorities deem
controversial and should have no place on our campuses,” CAUT executive
director James Turk said.

Calls to the board and the office operating the Confucius Institute
requesting an interview were not returned by press deadline. TDSB chair
Chris Bolton, who has been instrumental in signing the deal with the CI,
said he won’t be available for an interview until late June.