You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'UCU' category.
The UCU has passed its 3 motions in favour of solidarity with Palestine (that also question links with Israeli academic institutions) by an overwhelming majority [I hear it was 250 to 30 but I've yet to have this confirmed]. To read the motions in full see Lenin’s Tomb, for one of the better articles on the topic look to the Guardian and if you want to laugh (or cry depending) try reading the rantings of that well known loon Melanie Philips (whose article is titled ‘The Universities Witch-hunt Against The Jews’). Below is the UCU Press release.
On a rather different note its interesting how groups like Stop the Boycott, the Israeli media etc are only interested in academic freedom in defence of the state of Israel and not when that state is silencing critics such as Norman Finkelstein. Finkelstein was recently arrested by the Israeli authorities when trying to visit the occupied Palestinian Territories (not Israel) and was deported back to the US without any outcry. This is an example of how Palestinian academic life is interfered with: as visitors to their Universities can be refused, travel of Palestinian academics abroad can be denied and travel internally is often blocked by checkpoints. Finkelstein’s case is just another example of how academic freedom is only important when it serves Israel not Palestine.
Delegates at the University and College Union (UCU) congress this afternoon (Wednesday) reaffirmed their commitment to helping international colleagues denied the freedoms they enjoy. A series of motions called for greater links and solidarity with trade unionists from Darfur, Zimbabwe, Palestine and Burma. Delegates debated the Palestinian motion at length and passed one which supported solidarity with Palestinian academics and did not call for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.
Commenting on the motions passed this afternoon, Sally Hunt said: “Delegates in Manchester for UCU congress this week have the freedom to debate a whole host of issues. They can do this without worrying about being arrested, beaten and even killed. There are trade unionists around the world that are not so fortunate and we must never take our freedom to debate, whatever the issue, for granted.
The following by Keith Hammond from the excellent site Palestine Think Tank.
The UK’s University and College Union is moving into its May 28th 2008 Congress. Everyone in British Universities and Colleges is watching the proceedings carefully as everyone listens for news of the academic boycott. It is absolutely clear that the UCU membership is keen on a boycott of Israeli institutions who support or remain silent on the occupation of Palestine and yet claim ‘humane’ credentials in the international world of academia. This situation is upsetting many academics. What will be really interesting about this Congress is the way Anti-Zionist feeling amongst the rank and file translates to Congress decisions when the big stick of the law is being waived by the pro-Israeli group within the union that is threatening such a move. (I have seen documents of their legal threats…. Pages and pages of them. editor’s note).
While not calling for an organisational boycott the UCU is asking members to learn about the Israel-Palestine conflict. It hopes to appeal to freedom of conscience, that once academics realise Israel is a criminal state they will refuse to work with it and personally boycott it.
However the Stop the Boycott campaign is threatening that appealing to academics freedom of conscience is illegal due to discrimination on a national and religous basis. It seems odd that anti-racist laws are being used to defend a racist colonial state. Was the boycott against apartheid in South Africa anti-white? Anti-South African? Or just anti-oppression?
I’m not sure what Stop the Boycott want? That we can discuss Israel-Palestine, conclude Israel’s a criminal state (as did the International Court of Justice), but do nothing for fear of being sued? I’ve been boycotting Israel goods and going to protests for several years now including Stop the War marches. Does that mean I’m discriminating against Israeli’s and my fellow Brits? Clearly not, I’m using democratic freedoms to pressure Governments to try and produce positive changes. They also argue that the discrimination is not just to Israeli’s as it would ‘expose Jewish members of the union to indirect discrimination’ too. A topic I’ve tackled previously here.
The fact that the legal advice suggests talking about boycotting Israel is anti-Jewish discrimination suggests they are clutching at straws and merely trying to smear and scare the campaign. I can’t imagine theres a strong legal case against the boycott and I hope the UCU continues even if legal action is taken. Having Israel’s crimes and status as an apartheid state going through the courts would be a big success – a McLibel 2.0.
For more news coverage on the Stop the boycott legal advice see the Guardian, Jewish Chronicle and Jerusalem Post.
A report commissioned by the Britain-Israel Communications and Research Centre (Bicom), a leading ‘promoter’ (of Israeli propaganda), shows little damage to the UK economy if an academic boycott were to take place. Its a huge glaring error on their part. Although the report says ‘the proportion of UK GDP accounted for by economic links with Israel is small — £1.7 billion is just 0.1 per cent of UK GDP’ Jonathan Hoffman (whose credentials are vague) claims this ‘grossly underestimates the loss.’ According to him, not the report, other institutions globally would start to boycott the UK universities. I’m not sure what the evidence of this is? I doubt any large scale boycott would happen and this seems more like a scare story now that the report has been a positive result for those in favour of a boycott.
Even asking the question of the cost is ridiculous in the first place. When we ended slavery a similar argument of economic loss was presented, similarly with child labour and I’m sure the same happened when the UK boycotted South Africa under Apartheid. It’s always been a disgusting argument and always will be. We should not support oppression no matter what the financial benefit. The UCU is correct to confront Israeli oppression especially when extends into the Palestinian education system.
A leading economist has said that the UK economy and employment in Britain would suffer badly in the event of an academic boycott of Israel.
Commenting on a new report highlighting the financial impact on Britain if last year’s aborted academic boycott against Israel had gone ahead, Jonathan Hoffman, who has worked for the Bank of England and other major financial institutions, said: “The UK economy would suffer in the event of a hypothetical academic boycott.
Anthea Lipsett has written a terrible article in the Guardian linking the UCU boycott with antisemitism. You may wonder why I’ve written Guardi-yawn; well its because I’ve been following the Israel-Palestine conflict for many years now and I’m getting bored of EVERY critic of Israel being called an antisemite. The shine has most certainly worn off. Where is the evidence of this antisemitism? Theres none but being a critic of Israel – which is all the evidence that seems to be required. We have to forget that there are legitimate reasons to criticise Israel such as its illegal military occupation of the Palestinian Territories and Apartheid conditions. This is a dangerous abuse of the term antisemitism as we all know what happened to the boy who cried wolf. As for the All-Party Inquiry into Antisemitism I suggest reading Norman Finkelsteins Kill Arabs Cry Antisemitism. In it he says:
Although claiming that, in the struggle against anti-Semitism, “none of those who gave evidence wished to see the right free speech eroded,” and “only in extreme circumstances would we advocate legal intervention,” the report recommends that university authorities “take an active interest in combating acts, speeches, literature and events that cause anxiety or alarm among their Jewish students”.
If not enough is being done I wonder what this means? People are still speaking freely about Israeli crimes? I hope so.
Antisemitism in universities remains a major concern and the government needs to do more work to address it, an all party group of MPs has warned.
A progress report (pdf) one year after the government’s response to the All-Party Inquiry into Antisemitism suggests the Department for Innovation, Universities and Science has failed to do enough to tackle antisemitism on campus.
“Although we can point to significant progress against many of the Inquiry’s 35 recommendations there are still areas which remain of concern and require further work, this includes… antisemitism on university campuses,” the report says.
It is up to individual universities to make sure campuses are free from harassment and discrimination, the report states. But the group says it will consider setting up a sub-group on antisemitism in relation to higher education in discussion with higher education sector bodies and Jewish community bodies.
An article and title from The Press Association:
Controversial calls for British academics to consider boycotting Israeli universities are set to resurface later this month, threatening to re-ignite a row that spread worldwide.
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) will discuss whether to continue links with Israeli academic institutions in the light of the “humanitarian catastrophe imposed on Gaza by Israel”.
A motion passed at the union’s annual conference last year provoked outrage from academics and politicians in Britain and overseas.
We care about Academic freedom – just don’t mention the boycott, don’t mention crimes against Palestinians, don;t mention military occupation, curfews, blocks on education and above all don’t mention Apartheid. We will contact our lawyers. More from Polly Curtis in the Guardian:
Academics are today accused of attempting to revive the academic boycott of Israel by calling for lecturers to consider their links with Israeli institutions and lobby contacts over the Israeli occupation.
The University and College Union (UCU) annual conference this month will debate a motion which falls short of a full-blown boycott but asks members to “consider the moral and political implications of educational links with Israeli institutions” in the light of the “humanitarian catastrophe imposed on Gaza by Israel”.
The UCU have no motion to boycott Israel merely one to debate the moral issues of working with Israeli institutions. Disappointing. However pro-Israel groups, such as Stop the Boycott (StB), that keep claiming they’re worried about academic freedom, are seeking legal advice to make sure this doesn’t happen! You have to ask if they care about academic freedom or just care about defending Israel? You also have to ask – was boycotting South Africa under apartheid discriminatory or was it apartheid itself that was discriminatory? The legal case against the boycott was no where near as clear as its made out to be. The following from the Guardian - for other recent articles see here and here.
Academics are today accused of attempting to revive the intensely controversial academic boycott of Israel by calling for lecturers to consider their links with Israeli institutions and lobby contacts over the Israeli occupation.
The Universities and College Union (UCU) annual conference will debate a motion that falls short of a full-blown boycott, but asks members to “consider the moral and political implications of educational links with Israeli institutions”.
More friends in high places for the Israel Lobby groups as “last year he [Boris Johnson] opposed a call by the University College Union to boycott Israeli academic institutions.” As for his comments on the UCU they follow a particularly propagandistic lead. The UCU doesn’t have to denounce every single crime of the Israelis Government or Palestinians – the point is to pressure repressive institutions for change. So when the Israeli military occupation interferes with the right of Palestinians to be educated, and no-one else is doing anything about it, its quite right for fellow educators to get involved.
The Palestinians who kidnapped a journalist are not going to release him because the UCU adds to the overwhelming international pressure. Whereas Israel might improve the situation for Palestinians trying to gain an education if the UCU applies pressure where no-one else is. And incase he hadn’t noticed Iran is already being boycotted by the international community – its under brutal sanctions.
London’s new mayor, a pro-Israel Conservative lawmaker, was sworn in Saturday after ousting the left-wing incumbent in a vote that capped the worst local election results for Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s party in four decades.
…
But no Conservative victory was more symbolic than the one in London. Johnson becomes the first Conservative to hold a high-profile national post – controlling a budget of billions and charged with planning for the 2012 Olympics – since his party’s thumping 1997 national election defeat by the Labor Party, then led by Blair.Johnson’s record in support of Israel is clear. He backs a swift solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while understanding Israel’s security dilemmas.
Recent Comments