In April 2015, a conference entitled “International Law and the State of Israel: Legitimacy, Responsibility and Exceptionalism” was cancelled by the University of Southampton on “health and safety” grounds.
This year, the university is effectively cancelling it again by demanding the organizers front nearly £24,000 ($34,454) for security.
The organizers this week set up a web page to raise funds for legal action against the university. The page has raised £3,567 ($5,121) in two days.
The organizers “do not have, nor can they have any hope of raising this money” demanded by the university, according to a statement on the page.
“Most importantly we believe that as a matter of principle, and in these kinds of conferences that are controversial, it should not fall on the conference organisers to pay the cost of security measures needed to protect their academic freedom and freedom of speech.”
Since October, the organizers had been working with the university to ensure the conference took place in April 2016.
Free speech
Conference organizer Suleiman Sharkh said: “Everyone can attend and express their views, as everyone should have the right to freedom of speech.
“The aim of all the protesters last year, mainly the Sussex Friends of Israel, was to stop us from debating the legitimacy of the state of Israel.”
The statement from the organizers added: “There are fundamental questions of academic freedom and freedom of speech.
“We argue that putting such a burden on organisers would mean that controversial debates could be silenced by any one, by simply threatening to hold a demonstration.”
Last year, the university had come under pressure from its Parkes Institute, the UK Zionist Federation and the Board of Deputies of British Jews to stop the conference taking place.
The president of the Board of Deputies, Vivian Wineman, said: “It is formulated in extremist terms, has attracted toxic speakers and is likely to result in an increase in anti-Semitism and tension on campus.”
The Daily Telegraph reported: “At least one major patron was said to have been considering withdrawing funding.”
Responsibility
Regarding recent developments, a university spokesperson said: “This is not a university event, but one organised by academics to be held at the university.
“With that in mind, we would expect the organisers to provide sufficient funding to cover all aspects of hosting the event including the costs of any additional external policing and security as outlined in Section 12 of our Code of Practice to Secure Freedom of Speech Within the Law.”
However, Section 12.3 of the university’s Code of Practice states that “security costs shall be borne by the appropriate budgetary group or other financial entity except where it can be clearly shown that the right to freedom of speech is being inhibited by lack of funds.”
Geoffrey Alderman, professor of politics and contemporary history at the University of Buckingham, and one of the scheduled pro-Israel speakers at the conference, said: “I’m yet to hear of one university vice-chancellor condemning the university for their misguided decision of last year, and I’ve been verbally assailed by British Jews for taking part in this conference and for condemning the University of Southampton.
“I believe freedom of speech must be upheld where academic discussion is concerned. We mustn’t let the University of Southampton off the hook.”
Photo: Reuters
This article was published on Al Arabiya.
Hayley Pearce 