September 30, 2005

On Campus: Free Speech for Those who Support Suicide Bombers, but Not for Those They Target

Last night I attended the premiere in Los Angeles of a new documentary film by StandWithUs, called Tolerating Intolerance: Hate Speech on Campus.

What this film documents is astonishing to those of us who are not currently on campus. Today at many universities it is common for invited guests to give speeches in which they rage, in guttural, hate-filled tones, against "Jews" and "Zionist Jews," and call for the destruction of the state of Israel.

Note that the state of Israel cannot be destroyed without killing and/or driving out all the Jewish people who live there. Note also that no one calls for the destruction of any other state. It is therefore perfectly evident that calls for the destruction of the state of Israel are identical to anti-Semitism -- in other words, hate speech.

It is all but incomprehensible that such speech is tolerated on campus. 

Roz Rothstein, national director of StandWithUs and director of the film, at one point in the film interviews Manuel A. Gomez, Vice Chancellor for student affairs at the University of California, Irvine. Chancellor Gomez himself describes the speech in question as "abhorrent," but states that as free speech it is protected. Rothstein then offers him the opportunity to use his own right to free speech, and to speak publicly, and/or encourage the university faculty to speak publicly, stating that the speech in question is abhorrent.

Amazingly, not only do the universities at which such speeches occur tolerate it, they do not publicly distance themselves from it in any way.

Not only that, the film provides footage documenting that speakers who come to campus to speak in favor of Israel, are often shouted down, and even prevented from speaking entirely, by those who oppose them.

By this policy universities support a system in which free speech is only available to those who deny it to others. 

 Roz Rothstein, Director Of The Film, And National Director Of StandWithUs (Right), Introducing Students Who Appear In The Film. Click For A Larger Image. Note: This photo is merged from two smaller photos.

UCLA Professor Judea Pearl, father of Daniel Pearl, appeared and received a standing ovation.

In his remarks, Professor Pearl stated:

I found students being exposed to a racist orgy.

If there are any college administrators here, they will not like to see their college's names listed in the film as someone who invited [racist agitator] Malik Ali.

He called for the public to observe that speech advocating the destruction of Israel is identical to anti-Semitism, and called for exposure to the world of the toleration of this sort of speech on campus. 

Pro-Israel, pro-peace speaker Nonie Darwish, of Arabs for Israel, also spoke. I've described her in this previous post as "a firecracker."  Her speech last night again merited that description.

Arab American Nonie Darwish.

A few excerpts from her remarks:

This kind of speech reminds me of the hate speech I grew up with in Gaza. It should never be tolerated.

When I grew up there was never suicide bombing. But generations of hate speech led to it. It should never be tolerated in any civilized country.

She earned a standing ovation as well. 

Contact StandWithUs to arrange to show the documentary to friends or associates.