Press Release: Monday 23rd July 2007
MPs From all Sides Unite to Condemn UCU Boycott "Unacceptable"
Conservative, Liberal Democrats and Labour MPs from all sides of House stood up and condemned the University and Colleges Union's proposed boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions, in a debate in the House of Commons last Thursday.
In a debate on Anti Semitism, the MPs slammed the proposed boycott labeling it as "unacceptable", questioning the motives on singling out Israel and expressed fears for Jewish students on British campuses
John Mann MP (Lab) attacked the UCU motion:
"They have nobody to negotiate on the real issues affecting their work force, which is perhaps why their membership seems to be going down rather than up and will continue to do so if they choose to pick on the frivolities of life, such as intellectual debates, rather than the real stuff of life, such as the terms and conditions of their members."
Chris Huhne MP (Liberal Democrat) said:
"The boycott would be counter-productive, even in the terms of those who are pressing for it, since many of those who are most critical of Israeli Government policies are to be found in the universities, think-tanks and institutes within Israel."
Tim Boswell MP (Con) said:
"the question of the academic boycott, for which there is no place in a university sector. It is unacceptable, and if there is any doubt, academics individually and the universities collectively must be told that it is unacceptable."
Ian Wright MP, the Undersecretary of State at the Department of Communities and Local Government said:
"Such boycotts threaten academic freedom and intellectual exchange, and cannot be acceptable. Lecturers in the new university and college lecturers' union should be given every support to combat selective boycotts that are anti-Jewish in principle. I urge the new union's executive and leadership to oppose the boycott"
Jeremy Newmark, the Chief Executive of The Jewish Leadership Council said:
"From the debate it is clear that Members of Parliament on all sides have no truck with any form of academic boycott. Its an attack on academic freedom which has no place in the 21st century. Many Jewish students in the UK are concerned on campus - the MPs quite rightly noted their concerns."
Lorna Fitzsimons, Chief Executive of BICOM said:
"The vast majority of MPs are united in finding the proposed boycott as unacceptable in this day and age. The vast majority of UCU members are absolutely of the same mind - they want their union to go back to the bread and butter issues of getting the best deal from their employers and not picking on their colleagues from another country."
