The Discord channel ADMISSION MED QC 2024 is under fire. Allegations have surfaced about racist and other inflammatory material spread by its members, even by the student from Dawson College. Aaron Derfel, an investigative reporter at The Gazette, noted that this student has recently been accepted to medical school. He exposed the relationship between the student and a growing wave of hate speech that has begun white nationalist drivel across online channels.
MP for Quebec solidaire, Pascale Déry kicked off the investigation into complaints of racist bullying as early as last December. This move came amid rising anti-Semitism and tensions during the current Israel-Hamas war. On Monday, Déry expressed to us her concerns over the inflammatory rhetoric occurring on Discord. She emphasized the need to hold accountable purveyors of this kind of hateful speech.
The Discord channel had an incredible influx of people, adding almost 700 new users since last Friday. This spike follows last year’s scary headlines about increasing maternal mortality. Those reports documented pervasive antisemitic, anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, and misogynistic harassment on the platform. The channel contained some very disturbing content, such as one user—HydroBeatz—declaring that Adolf Hitler was a “charismatic” speaker. This raises disturbing questions about how much hate speech is allowed in these digital spaces.
In response to these developments, McGill University’s medical faculty released a statement condemning the hateful epithets exchanged by some aspiring doctors within the Discord community. They reaffirmed their commitment to creating an inclusive environment free from hate speech, stating, “The McGill faculty of medicine and health sciences does not tolerate hate speech.”
Pascale Déry is diligently motivating students and medical school applicants to spread the word. Your experiences, especially if you’ve tried reporting him/her, would be extremely helpful in the continuing investigation. As she stated, we need to “face these challenges in the eye.” She cautioned that we cannot turn a blind eye or pretend this isn’t a dangerous climate of hatred and division.
Simon Savignac, a local community leader, echoed Déry’s sentiments, declaring that “the calls for violence and expressions of hatred in these exchanges are totally unacceptable in Quebec.” This short statement underscores a significant cause for concern. It marshals the power of this proud city’s diverse community to come together to collectively reject and take action against hate.
The situation escalated further when The Gazette reported on the virulent stream of hateful content present on another Discord channel known as Med serveur. At the time of its removal, this channel had an astounding 1,400 members and was removed soon after The Gazette’s investigation exposing this practice. According to those reports, some of those members were actively participating in conversations that fostered racial and ethnic hatred.
Other users have attempted to play defense on their engagement, or even claim to have been making a joke. With that in mind, others have requested to remain under the radar. One user known as AimBot mentioned, “There are people who are snitching to the police,” suggesting that internal strife may exist among members regarding the dissemination of such content.
While investigations continue to determine the origins and meaning of these conversations, now more than ever, it’s important for our universities and communities surrounding them to send a strong message that respect, dignity and love will always prevail over hate. It’s why students are key to this discourse. Their participation is a testament to the critical need for discourse and education around racism and intolerance in academia and beyond.
