Zionists blackmail "University of Freedom"

 

Gagging of Leeds students ‘in breach of law’

15/12/2006

By Nathan Jeffay

The Jewish Chronicle

The University union authorities in Leeds have been warned that they will be breaking the law if they apply the controversial new policy of gagging Jewish students.

As the JC reported last week, the student union has been mandated to ignore Jewish Society complaints “as long as Judaism as a faith is not offended.” Jewish students — who number 1,000 in Leeds — were outraged, saying the move gives the growing pro-Palestine lobby, which proposed the motion, carte blanche to libel Israel.

This week, the Union of Jewish Students decreed that “the motion is in contravention of the 1994 Education Act.” According to campaigns director Mitch Simmons, it appears to offend the requirement outlined in section 22, dealing with student unions, that “there should be a complaints procedure available to all students or groups of students who... are dissatisfied in their dealings with the union.”

Damola Timeyin, communications and democracy officer for the Leeds union, refused to comment on the legal question. However, in a letter to the JC, he insisted: “The motion in no way changes Jewish students’ right to support the State of Israel or debate the issue.”

Mr Simmons said that UJS was not currently planning legal action, as it expected the union to drop the policy given its “clear” legal difficulties. “The point of this law is that any group has the right to complain,” he said. “You cannot say that this motion, however well it was passed by student democracy, is able to overturn that right.”

However, a J-Soc campaign officer, Hannah Zatman, said it was “consulting lawyers, and is determined to fight this policy with as much strength as possible.”

Chaplain Rabbi Michael Treblow met pro-vice chancellor Professor Stephen Scott at the start of the week “to convey that this is an issue of great concern to Jewish students and to British Jewry as a whole, and also to make it clear that the reality of Jewish identity in the UK is that it is intertwined with the existence of the State of Israel.”

He voiced alarm that the sole definition of Jewish identity in the student union was religious, on the say-so of the Palestinian Solidarity Group, authors of the policy. This meant that Jewish students were effectively powerless to complain against any anti-Israel activities in the union.
He also discussed fears that the J-Soc might be banned as a consequence of the policy. With Israel’s legitimacy as part of Jewish identity challenged, the PSG was free to claim that the J-Soc was not advocating Jewish identity but a political ideology that, in the motion, was equated with racism. The J-Soc could then find itself excluded from the union under its “no platform” for racists policy.

But despite the chaplain’s arguments, vice-chancellor Professor Michael Arthur wrote to the JC this week insisting: “The referendum decision… does not conflict with the university’s values.” He claimed that an acceptable status quo existed, whereby “people may criticise the policies and actions of the State of Israel on our campus. But they may not be antisemitic.”

On hearing of Professor Arthur’s position, Rabbi Treblow was “not happy,” considering it a “simple defence,” rather than addressing student concerns. Ms Zatman criticised the university, arguing: “It has possibly not looked at the policy, which is a direct attack on the Jewish Society. It should be more concerned with the Jewish Society not being allowed the rights of other societies — clearly a matter of discrimination.”

Akram Awad, the Palestinian Solidarity Group activist who introduced the policy, posted a jubilant blog entry dedicated to “Leeds University’s Zionist J-Soc, to the Zionist UJS, and to all advocates of the racist illegal Zionist regime called ‘Israel.’”

He wrote: “Nothing on earth would stop us from fighting for the justice and freedom… for all victims of the evil Zionist virus anywhere in the world. If you think that Leeds motions are our biggest victory you are very mistaken; this victory is so little for us and we haven’t even started yet. If you decide to keep defending and advocating the Devil then don’t blame us for [J-Soc] being offended every time we expose your beloved Zionists’ crimes, because ‘Israel’ itself is the biggest offence to humanity.”

From the motion
This Union notes: That although the LUU Jewish Society (J-Soc) is categorised by the Student Union as a religious society, a principal role for JSoc is to promote the state of Israel via its activities and affiliation with the National Union of Jewish Students…
This Union resolves: To formally advise the LUU Jewish Society that promoting and defending Israel in its activities indicate that J-Soc is taking and advocating a curtain [sic] political stand in behalf of the Jewish students on campus…

 End of JC article

I salute the University of Leeds' Vice-Chancellor Prof. Michael Arthur and the Student Union's Communications and Democracy Officer Damola Timeyin for their strong righteous stand in support of freedom of speech and healthy debate for everyone on campus INCLUDING THE JEWISH STUDENTS.

Zionist J-Soc ... Bad Losers!

Jewish students gagged at Leeds

08/12/2006 15:21:00

By Nathan Jeffay

The Jewish Chronicle Newspaper

Britain's largest Jewish student community was in a state of shock this week after being constitutionally gagged against a background of intensifying anti-Israel campaigns and propaganda. The student union at the University of Leeds has recently become the stronghold of a growing pro-Palestine lobby, which regularly runs campaigns declaring Israel to be a racist and apartheid state. Following a campus-wide referendum last Friday, union authorities have been mandated to ignore J-Soc complaints "as long as Judaism as a faith is not offended." This policy was carried by 1,421 votes to 895. The motion, proposed by members of the Palestinian Solidarity Group, catalogues J-Soc complaints against it. It then claims that the existing practice of "considering every complaint received by the student union as a real complaint" constituted "an arbitrary use of authority." A further successful motion, worded as a polemic against Israel, resolves to twin the union with the student body at Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, where many seats on the student council are held by the Hamas-linked Islamic List. It brings to a climax a disturbing term for Jewish students - in the last month alone, UK J-Socs have fought against some 11 motions, the majority of which they managed to defeat. Campus leaders, students and academics have voiced concern that the first motion singles out the university's Jewish students - thought to number almost 1,000 - and strips them of basic rights enjoyed by all others. They fear this principle will be introduced in other unions, creating a culture where Israeli's critics have carte blanche to launch tirades regardless of their truth, and where it becomes taboo for any J-Soc to show solidarity with Israel. They have also reacted with incredulity to the motion's wording, in which its Palestinian Solidarity Group authors claim for themselves - and to the exclusion of Jewish students - authority to define Jewish identity. Now the motion has passed, Jewish identity is now exclusively religious, according to the union's constitution. After the votes, the atmosphere at Hillel House was gloomy. "The motion is trying to tell us what we should and should not think about Judaism," said Mark Frazer, 21. "Its proponents are saying that Israel should not be part of our Jewish identity; we think is. It should be for us to decide." Judith Keen, 20, spoke of "feeling let down as the referendum process is meant to help students here, not be used a political tool." Zach Esdaile, one of the J-Soc's campaign officers, claimed it will "add to fear on campus." He said: "This motion is supposedly about freedom of speech [by preventing complaints], but it delivers anything but that." However Damola Timeyin, communications and democracy officer for the union, said that the motion was passed by a democratic forum, and as such is binding. According to Mitch Simmons, campaigns director at UJS, the motion represents the "stepping up" of a "national, systematic and coordinated attempt on campuses" to blacken Israel's reputation and delegitimise Israel's centrality in Jewish identity. Insiders in the National Union of Students report a growing rift with Leeds over the motion, even though, publicly, NUS respects the autonomy of member unions. NUS president Gemma Tumelty would not "comment extensively," but confirmed there is a clash.

Here is a competition for all of you; count as many lies as you can in the report. The winner gets a very exceptional reward: ZIONISTS WILL HATE YOU!

Blackening Israel's reputation?! Oh yeah, The Worst Country in the World, what a reputation we should work hard to spoil!

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Source: Jerusalem Post

It could take Israel 30 years to change its brand image, after it placed last in a study of 36 countries, one of the leaders in the field of nation branding warned Saturday. Simon Anholt spoke with The Jerusalem Post on the heels of a recent survey he released in which 25,000 consumers were asked to rank 36 countries on issues of tourism, exports, governance, investment, immigration, cultural heritage and people. According to the study, known as the Nation Brands Index, which has been published four times a year since 2005, "Israel's brand is, by a considerable margin, the most negative we have ever measured in the NBI, and comes in at the bottom of the ranking on almost every question." Israel is not typically included in the survey, which looks at such as places as the US, Germany, Mexico, South Korea, China and Singapore. Britain came in first in the survey and the US was ninth. It was included in the third quarter survey of 2006 because there is a guest slot in each survey. "Only Bhutan, the first guest country we included in the NBI, achieved a similarly low score," said the study. But in the case of Bhutan the study attributed its poor score to the fact that few people had heard of it, according to the study. "Israel's poor scores are clearly not the result of anonymity; it is one of the most known countries in the world," said the study. The Foreign Ministry's Director of Public Affairs Amir Gissin said the survey underscored for him the importance of the new nation-branding drive Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni launched this fall. "We see Anholt's research as an opportunity to increase the awareness of decision makers in Israel to the image problem that Israel has in order to make us more determined to deal with the image problem," Gissin told the Post. As part of that drive, the ministry is looking for ways to focus international public attention away from the country's conflicts with the Palestinians and Hizbullah in favor of more positive images such as the country's technical innovations as well as musical, cultural and historical attractions. But Anholt warned on Saturday that the Foreign Ministry would have to be very patient before it benefits from its labors. While his 30-year prediction is not set in stone, Anholt said, he warned that changing people's attitudes and prejudice was so difficult and time-consuming that it often took decades. It took Japan and Ireland 30 years to change their public image, Anholt added. "There are no quick fixes to this," said Anholt, who added that he hoped the Israelis "are very patient." It was for this reason that he did not believe his study was significantly impacted by the fact that it was conducted during the war with Hizbullah in Lebanon over the summer. Israel was often in a state of conflict, Anholt said. It had been his experience, he said, that the survey measured long-seated opinions that were not greatly swayed by current events. Still, he said, just to be certain he planned to include Israel for a second time in the survey during a quiet period, "just to ascertain that the results were not skewed." Anholt said that his study differed from that of other surveys, in that this was not a politically-based public opinion poll. It did not measure people's ideas about the conflict with the Palestinians or Hizbullah, but rather it examined people's instinctive associations with the country that would impact their decisions outside the political arena, such as whether they would buy a product from Israel, visit the country, or hire an Israeli.

Finally this is a message to all advocates of the racist illegal Zionist regime called "Israel", nothing on earth would stop us from fighting for the Justice and freedom of the Palestinian nation (in Palestine and in Diaspora) from the evil Zionist virus "Israel". If you think that Leeds motions are our biggest victory you are very mistaken; this victory is so little for us and we haven't even started yet. We will keeping speaking out the truth and educating people about our cause no matter how much it costs us. If you decide to keep defending and advocating the Zionist state then don't blame us for being offended every time we expose your beloved Zionists' crimes, because "Israel" itself is the biggest offence to humanity.

Mission Accomplished!

Dear All,

I have great news for you: WE DID IT! Both Leeds University Union Referendum motions for Palestine have passed and become binding policies to the Union Council as of now. Here are the results:

• Motion 2 (Palestinian Students Right to Education): Won by 1433 votes to 1020.
• Motion 5 (LUU Policy towards PSG and other Politically Active Societies): Won by 1421 votes to 895.

Motion 2 (now a policy) will be implemented by twinning with Birzeit University in Palestine, as well as helping to found a scholarship scheme for Palestinian students who wish to study at the University of Leeds. The new policy also obliges the Student Union and its Council to take a positive stand in supporting the right to education for Palestinian students whenever the issue is discussed nationally.

Motion 5 (also a policy now) ensures that the Palestinian Solidarity Group (PSG) and all other societies can now work freely in campaigning on campus and educating the University community on the Palestinian cause and Israeli crimes without fear of being stopped or discriminated against by the Union following nonsensical and frivolous complaints by Zionist students.

Let me reiterate: it wasn't the PSG committee who achieved this victory, WE DID IT ALL TOGETHER! Yes, it was the fact that we all (PSG, ISoc, Respect, Socialist Workers, Stop the War, PSC, Saudi Society, Omani Society, and many others) worked in unity, shoulder to shoulder, which made this a reality. This is proof that when we join hands together no one can stop us from achieving our noble aims.

Let us not underestimate this victory; we shouldn't forget that we were all challenged by a fierce opposition campaign from the Jewish Society (JSoc), probably the most powerful and extremely Zionist Jewish society in the UK, yet we all managed to overcome all obstacles, which include the many lies that made up the JSoc's campaign with the aim of confusing and misleading students. Our achievement wasn't granted as a result of a weak opposition - it was won through our sincerity, determination, unity and hard work.

The Referendum door is now closed, but a new door has just opened and should remain open; it is our belief and intention to continue our great work and to keep working together not only for Palestine but for all the ethical humanitarian and political causes around the world.

I would like to finish with a massive THANK YOU to all those who worked for this success; to those who wished to help but couldn't; and to all those who prayed for our victory: thank you all very much!

I'll leave you now with the Victory moment captured on video! Believe me, we are not mad, we were just excited!