a day ago
Quebec report reveals Dawson student admitted to writing messages in private social media group
News
A Quebec government report into tensions at two Montreal colleges has revealed new details about hateful messages posted in a social media group, singling out a Dawson student as one of the 'main participants.'
The report, published Friday by Quebec's Ministry of Higher Education, noted Dawson CEGEP received an anonymous email on May 9 containing screenshots from a 'social media sharing group' involving students from several institutions.
The messages were described in the report as 'hateful, antisemitic, racist, and threatening to various groups.'
While the platform is not named in the report, The Gazette understands the group operated on Discord and was known as Med serveur, a private channel for aspiring medical students with more than 1,400 members before it was shut down in May after the messages surfaced.
According to the report, Dawson took 'swift action' in response to the anonymous complaint.
'The articles concerning the student were removed from the College's website and a meeting was arranged with the student,' the report observed, alluding to previous unrelated Dawson announcements about the individual. 'During this meeting, he confirmed that he was the author of the messages and provided certain explanations.'
The student in question has declined to be interviewed by The Gazette.
The report adds while 'some comments are deemed inappropriate,' they did not constitute incitement to 'violence.'
Part of the section concerning the student was redacted. It remains unclear what disciplinary measures, if any, were taken.
In a statement earlier this year, Dawson confirmed it had completed its internal investigation, but could not disclose the outcome because of student privacy laws.
'We had no awareness of this group before the complaint,' Donna Varrica, Dawson's director of communications, wrote in an email. 'It would be impossible to monitor the use of all social media platforms among a population of nearly 10,000 Dawson students.'
The report acknowledges the student's posts would have violated the college's Code of Conduct if they were made in an academic context or explicitly linked to the institution.
'The decision to intervene is difficult,' the report stated, 'because institutions do not have control over everything that is published on the internet. Their only leverage … is when the College's identification (official name) is included in the publication.'
The case was part of a broader government investigation into tensions at English-language CEGEPs following the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war. The report, which also reviewed Vanier College, raised concerns about political student groups and the presence of prayer spaces.
It recommends clearer guidelines on academic freedom and stricter enforcement of Quebec's secularism law, known as Bill 21.
This story was originally published June 28, 2025 at 2:44 PM.
