Igor Sadikov, McGill student and a member of the Legislative Council and Board of Directors of the Students’ Society of McGill University. Photo: SSMU.

An pro-Israel activist at Montreal’s McGill University told The Algemeiner on Monday that he’s “happy the student government finally took a strong stance” and requested that a representative who tweeted “punch a Zionist” step down.

Simon Paransky said, “I hope Igor [Sadikov] heeds the call to resign,” referring to the member of the Students’ Society of McGill University’s Board of Directors (SSMU) who justified his call for violence on the grounds of Israeli “dispossession and colonization of Palestinian land.”

The SSMU’s recommendation that he quit his post over “incitement to violence” came days after the body rejected a motion to impeach him, at which time SSMU had explained that it “stands in support of freedom of expression and the right of representatives to hold a diversity of political beliefs.”

As McGill’s alternative newspaper, Prince Arthur Herald, reported late last week, the about-face seems to have resulted from direct involvement by the university’s principal, Suzanne Fortier.

According to PAH, Fortier “informed Executive members of SSMU, that if they did not recommend the resignation of Sadikov, she would issue a public statement condemning SSMU’s inaction and would consider taking legal action against them, resulting in a loss of funding.” Fortier has issued a statement confirming that the administration intervened.

According to Canadian news site CBC, Fortier and several of her colleagues met with the SSMU executive committee “to remind them of their obligation to ensure student leadership abide by their own code of ethics.”

PAH applauded the principal for “[taking] matters into her own hand.”

In response to the call, Sadikov doubled down and defended his violent rhetoric yet again, telling CBC that SSMU’s call for his resignation only came “because of threats being made by the principal [Fortier.]”

After the initial story of Sadikov’s behavior broke, Jewish students worldwide mobilized with an “Open Letter” condemning the student representative. The letter gathered nearly 100 signatures.

McGill — which ranked fourth on The Algemeiner‘s 2016 list of the “40 Worst Colleges for Jewish Students” in North America — has been described by attendees as one of the most contentious institutions in Canada for Jews and Israel-supporters.