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Students fighting for justice for Palestinians is not anti-semitism



Wes Streeting National Union of Students President said:
"I also remain alarmed by reports of antisemitism on too many of our campuses. While criticism of Israel is perfectly acceptable and many of the protesters have campaigned peacefully, there can be no justification for the kinds of incidents that have been recorded on our campuses and in our communities. It is the responsibility of us all to not only face this reality, but to challenge this kind of racism head on."
Gaza Solidarity broke the news on 9 February - see the full statement from Streeting here

A response from the President of Essex University Students Union, Dominic Kavakeb, to the national president, Wes Streeting's slurs linking student Gaza occupations to anti-semitism

Posted at SOAS Students in Solidarity with Gaza
Wes Streeting has disgracefully played the race card to criticise the wave of student activism. In response, Dominic Kavakeb (Essex university) has written the following response:

We would like to express our severe disappointment at the NUS President for his comments regarding the wave of student occupations that has taken place over the past month.

Thousands of students have been involved in these protests and the very breadth of the occupations serves to prove the wide support for these actions. Over 30 university campuses have seen some form of student action.

Any minor disruption caused by these occupations has to be offset against their success in highlighting the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the destruction of the Islamic University of Gaza.

The allegation that the occupations have fuelled anti-semitism on our campuses is as disgraceful as it is untrue. Thousands of students, many Jewish, have been involved in action to help rebuild the Gazan education system and support the right to education for Palestinians.

The NUS was founded, in 1922, upon the values of peace and international solidarity after the slaughter of the First World War. Surely, the President of the national Union of Students should welcome wholeheartedly the return of student activism and international solidarity amongst students.

When Israel carries out massacres as 'the Jewish state' it is unfortunately not too surprising if some people take that at face value and make the erroneous assumption that all Jewish people do in fact believe Israel acts in their name. Thankfully this is not the case. For many years those who uncritically support everything Israel does have tried to label the pro-Palestinian movement with this brush of anti-semitism.

But it is the zionist supporters of Israel that are doing a massive disservice to the fight against anti-semitism by attacking the wrong target in such a dangerous way. The student action is to be applauded, not just in the act of showing and delivering practical solidarity, but also in the inclusiveness and camaraderie among those involved from all backgrounds.

No-one should belittle the very real rise there has indeed been in anti-semitism in Europe and it is Israel, resting as it does on the necessity of oppressing the Palestinians - given that the land was stolen from them and they still want it back, that gives room for anti-semites to spread lies and racial hatred - 'look how evil the Jews are in Gaza, and this financial crisis...'.

Melanie Phillips, and those such as Wes Streeting who find it easier to go along with her Muslim-baiting than to stand up for oppressed people, are playing with fire when we are faced with a fight to stop a party of the Nazi tradition, the British National Party, winning seats in the forthcoming European Parliamentary elections.

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