SOAS students now occupying key SOAS space with SOAS UCU leader support

I've now heard that the SOAS student union is occupying the School's prestigious Brunei gallery with the aim of attacking a current exhibition there (nothing to do with Israel). It's clear that their agenda goes far beyond anything to do with Gaza. It refers to "the occupation of Palestnian Land" but also to a much wider agenda. I'm writing this from my iPhone, so I can't do a fully informative post, but Harry's Place has the whole story-- link on the sidebar of this blog. Now here's the really fine thing. 

I know about what's going on because I got a forwarded email from a J Darlington, who's one of the leaders of SOAS UCU. The email is signed "Long Live Palestine". 

In response, a poster at Harry's Place has suggested pro-Israel activists go and occupy his tutor room. I think that's intended as a joke, but I profoundly disagree with that suggestion. 

The way to fight academic thuggery and political infantilism is not by adopting the same methods in response. 

I'm a member of UCU. I stand for free speech in academic settings, with the exception of overt incitement to carry out physical attacks and to intimidate others. I am sure the vast majority of the staff and the students at SOAS support free speech and opposition to attempts at bans and occupations of this kind too. Meanwhile, what are the SOAS authorities and UCU going to in response to J Darlington's support for academic bullying and the suppression of free speech?

Comments

[Philip I]

The world should listen to this wise Israeli.

[Judy]

"The wise Israeli" referred to in the previous comment is Jeff Halper, whose self-aggrandizing delusions can be deduced from the extracts below from a review of his political activities.

As a result of his joining the currently fashionable gesture politics stunt of sailing a boat to Gaza, he has now received a Palestinian passport and citizenship.

http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/an-israeli-in-gaza-interview-with-jeff-halper/

Jeff Halper is the head of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. He is the author of An Israeli in Palestine. He lives in Jerusalem.

You recently took part in the Free Gaza movement and successfully reached Gaza by boat with others activists, journalists and human rights workers from around the globe. How did you get involved in such an initiative and why was it important for you to take part?

As an Israeli and the head of an Israeli peace organization (ICAHD – The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions), I was asked by the Free Gaza Movement organizers to take part in their action to Break the Siege of Gaza by sailing two boats from Cyprus to Gaza City port. I agreed because this was a non-violent political action; breaking the siege and by implication highlighting Israel’s responsibility for it (which it tries to shrug) fit into ICAHD’s mission, to end the Israeli Occupation completely. Had this been defined as a humanitarian mission I would not have participated, since the so-called “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza is not the result of some natural calamity, but of a deliberate policy of Israel – plus the US, Europe and Japan, it must be said, and aided by Egypt – to break the will of the Palestinians to resist and to replace the democratically elected government of Hamas by a collaborationist regime more amenable to Israeli control.

Ah, yes. The democratically elected government of Hamas. Of course, I'm sure that Halper doesn't for a moment recognise that the people of Gaza are therefore responsible for the consequences of electing a regime whose commitment to "resistance" with rockets, suicide bombs and kidnappings have brought their present tragedy upon them.