Campaign Update 12
31st August 2007
Thank you for being part of the Stop the Boycott campaign. You can help us by donating to the campaign: - just click here
________________________________________________________
New Envoy for Israeli Academia
- Professor David Newman of Ben Gurion University has been appointed the representative of Israeli academia in the UK.
- He will work under the auspices of the International Advisory Board (IAB) for Academic Freedom, alongside the Israel Academy of Sciences.
- His main role will be to strengthen existing links between Israeli and UK academia, and help develop new ones.
- His work will be in coordination with the Stop the Boycott campaign, and he met with the leadership of the campaign early this week.
________________________________________________________
Letter in New Statesman
- Last week, the New Statesman carried a piece by John Pilger supporting a boycott movement against Israel.
- In response, the New Statesman this week published rebuttal letters from Lorna Fiztsimons and Linda Grant
- Lorna's letter appears below:
Is an Israel boycott movement "growing inexorably", as John Pilger suggested? The facts suggest otherwise. The NUJ boycott was recently overturned by its wide-ranging membership, not the executive, and every broadsheet newspaper has come out in print and shown its opposition.
This past week, 82 per cent of Imperial College UCU members voted against a boycott. Over the summer, large numbers of universities - among them Oxford, Cambridge and University College London - have publicly rejected a boycott. Whenever there has been a poll of UCU members the results are clear: 90 per cent feel that their views haven't been heard so far and 80 per cent say they reject a boycott.
One hundred and three MPs signed an early-day motion condemning the proposal as "an assault on academic freedom", and the three major political parties have been united in their condemnation of a boycott.
I don't think this is the definition of "inexorably".
Lorna Fitzsimons
Stop the Boycott Campaign
________________________________________________________
War on Want
- The recent publication of a boycott pamphlet labelled a "handbook of hate" by Jeremy Newmark from Stop the Boycott has been defended by War on Want, who are sponsoring it.
- John Hilary, Director of Campaigns at War on Want, told Third Sector magazine that the Charities Commission had cleared the boycott campaign in principle:
Hilary said the charity had already received the green light from the commission to advocate boycotts and sanctions as means to alleviate "the root causes of poverty and human rights abuses". - The Board of Deputies of British Jews will be seeking clarification from the Charities Commission as to what advice they have given War on Want.
Upcoming meetings
Manchester Engage Public Meeting "THE BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL CAMPAIGN AND CONTEMPORARY ANTISEMITISM".
- Engage's first Manchester public meeting is to be held on Sunday 9th September.
- The meeting is 19:00 - 22:00 at Manchester Maccabi, Bury Old Road , Prestwich.
- Admission is £5 by ticket only (payable on the night), light refreshments will be provided
- Email engagemanchester@gmail.com for a place with many tickets you require and in what names.
Speakers include:
- Denis Macshane MP (Chair 2005 All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry Into Anti-Semitism)
- David Hirsh (Editor Engage)
- Jane Ashworth (Campaigns Director Engage)
- Richard Gold (North West Organiser Engage)
- Philip Spencer (Advisory Editor Engage)
