A non-Jewish Canadian professor says he was fired from his university for defending Israel in a social media post as antisemitism exploded across Canada following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
Paul Finlayson told Fox News Digital that he lost his job at Canada’s University of Guelph-Humber after taking a strong stance online about the massacre and kidnapping of Israelis and foreigners — including Americans and Canadians.
Finlayson responded in November of 2023 to a LinkedIn message from an overseas educator who he said was "calling for the eradication of Israel." Though the author later deleted his post and all corresponding comments, targeted campaign against him which has affected his professional standing and job prospects.
Finlayson said that students at the school found his LinkedIn reply before the post's author erased the thread, leading to outcry. While meeting with a student in his office on Nov. 27, Finlayson said an administrator waited outside, eventually presenting him with a suspension letter.
A copy of the suspension letter, provided by Finlayson, cites "inappropriate online comments" and places the professor "on leave pending the outcome of the investigation." It directed Finlayson not to contact "any of your departmental staff or students or broader members of the [university]."
Finlayson said he was "very well-liked" by students, who ranked him among the highest in the business department faculty. He said that rumors about the accusations against him destroyed his academic reputation, which included formulating courses and writing textbooks.
"My trial has been by defamation, and it continues by defamation," Finlayson said of the "Kafkaesque" situation that ensued.
He says that his union, OPSEU Local 562, refused to represent him. The union did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Finlayson was officially fired by the university in July 2025. He provided a copy of his termination letter, which stated that after a "formal complaint of discrimination and harassment," an investigator found that his "conduct violated the Ontario Human Rights Code and Humber’s Human Rights and Harassment Policy, and that [he] engaged in reprisal under both of those instruments."
The Humber anti-Israel posts shared by its students and a professor at the University violate the Humber Human Rights and Harassment Policy.
The University of Guelph’s "UofGforPalestine" antisemitism has exploded in Canada. In April, B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights released a report showing that 6,800 antisemitic incidents took place in the country in 2025, representing a 9.4% increase over 2024. On average, this represented 18.6 incidents a day and was the "highest volume" the group has recorded since it began tracking incidents.