next a discussion about free speech and how issues surrounding israel are debated on college campuses. this is from a conference organized by the institute for research, he middle eastern policy ask the more than educational trust. it's an hour. >> ladies and gentlemen, once again, good morning, and thank you for your patience as we try and stay on time and on schedule today. our next panel excuses the right on free speech and the effort to discuss the middle east -- our

first two panelists -- two panelists will offer insight into the efforts and explain how to push back against first amendment encroachment. our first speak iris -- barry -- the presidential chair of jewish history at wake forest university. a scholar of jewish history and for nazi holocaust, he earned his ph.d in history at ucla, and a post graduate diploma in jewish studies at oxnard university. prior he was associate director prefer of program at the state university of new york's university of albany and interim director. the author of two books, including the new hill released 2018 book, the united states and the nazi hole cust, race, refuge and remembrance. on november 7, he test boyfriend a house judiciary committee,

hearing on antisemitism on college campuses that would legally define -- he will address challenging the antisemitism awareness act, pushing back against jew jewish exceptionallist politics. [applause] >> an honor to be invited to speak here today. in congress they give you a buzzer with identify minutes and it's nose to have 18 before the red light appears. it's an honor to be on this panel with -- who has been a model of scholarly activism on the issue overjoys for palestinians palestinians and a targeted unrelenting campaign to discredit and her work so i'm proud to be your warmup eight.

for self years there's been a glowing campaign to sort the nonviolent movement. involving government around the world, the uk and france and many state and local governments here in the united states have like weiss declared that citizens risk being punished for choosing not to do business we israel. we know these statutes are a clear violation of free speech guarantees and while they tend to not stand up to constitutional challenges, they're enacted by politics who are pander ago to what they incrackly see ace american sureie voters mon mow leggic view of israel. it's a nonviolent form of prostitute, the boycott is equated we terrorism and just a quick eye side to sort of highlight thing a suddenty of -- absurdity of the legislation, new york stay where i used to live is boycotting north carolina, where i now alive, over the bathroom bill that discriminate against transgendered persons and yet that same year they passed anti-bds legislation, saying that boycotts are inherently

film na -- discriminatoriy. the effect of this legislation is to suppress israel. scholars and activists engage in self-censorship to reluctance to criticize israel for fear of being slandered or having their livelihoods threatened and destroyed as we know. the campaign against bds has been effective at distracting our attention away from focusing on the brutality of the occupation itself. as scholar and activist, we argue about the marries of the bds the occupation only intensifies and too often we don't recognize our on complicity. as american taxpayers who government spends millions in u.s. hardware, colleges sent it partnershipsships and professiol

organizations are implicated in support for the occupation. another front in this campaign to restrict freedom of political expression was the attempt by members of congress in the last year to introduce legislation called the antisemitism awareness act which would amend title vi of the civil rights act of 1964 by declaring anti-september tim is a violation under it. so on the face of it the legislation looks encouraging and one might reflectively be supportive, particularly since the rise of the trump presidency. which is embonned white supremacists to target jewish communities. and for this reason rickly the measure sailed he through the senate. ey the us to is the legislation an attempt to suppress student activism. the effect of this bill is to define opposition to sailor assenters september tim to equate judaism we zion jim and -- yet as with legislation,

this act would like lie not withstand constitutional challenge but is already shape how college campuses talk anti-semitism. this legislation was prompted by growing activism on college campus that challenge the israeli occupation. and work to pass resolutions on the campuses. backers of the legislation such as anti-definition league, aipac this simon wiesenthal center have portrayed campuses as evermore hostile and dangerous too juicish students and american universitieses are hot beds of anti-semitism because of threats to pro palestinian activist. they produced a set of academic study dirk put nat quote -- that purport to document a rise of. she on campus but a close reading demonstrates each of them the research's definition of anti-semitism includes activities critical of israel

and occupation. begun the student against occupation is on the rise these are seen as a representative of the tenacity of palestinian constitute 's than jewish hatred i'm takes on jew students for being few jewish is repel excellent the old racist and religionly based anti-semitism such as be a? charlottesville,y they chanted you you jew animals rye place -- is still president of the united states and rerequires resistance. however, as their testimony before congress attests the back-or-the bill carry very little about combating white supremacy to that puts them at odds with the current administration. it's not what this legislation addresses. it's concerned with curbing political speech that then this continuing occupation of palestine. the he anti-semitism awareness act relies upon the state department's classification of

anti-semitism. which is itself appropriated from to the working defer nation of. she of -- of anti-semitism. a definition created for the purpose's are research and not governmental policy. as well intentioned as the state department's concern for anti-semitism may be, it defines anti-semitism so broadly to including credit sim of israeli or be rye fewing to sea that israel is an expression of jew jewish self-determination. teen author of the working definition, ken stearn, who is opposed to the academic boycott of israel, has testified that the definition was not drafted and was never intended as tool or to target or kill speech on college campuses. in fact the statement department's definition upon which the legislation was based is so poorly constructed that it's entirely unusable. for example. is ininstances an instance of. she is accusing jewish citizens of being more loyal to israel or jews worldwide than to the

interest-of-their own nation. this is one to the foundation premise's zion jim and a founding premises. the movements that emerge at the end of the 19th and beginning of 20th century. the first half o20 in century in particular showed us as with a marginalizes groups, jews citizenship cannot be taken for graft. the founded or zionism conclude that regardless of where they live, jew have more in common with ewan another than john jews. some arguments be traced back to the found over zionism herself who argued in 1896 that anti-semitism is inescapable fact of moder -- elsewhere the definition state disease night the jewish people

self-determination is an example of anti-semitism. this ignores the views in the. >> commune regarding israel 'as maas a adr and aipac would like to testify they're not the spokesperson for all of american jewry. since the first stirrings of zionism in sure, groups of jews in america rejected jewish zionism. for many jews today and since 1948, the state of israel decidedly not an expression of jewish self-determination. for another the question of israel's right to exist is not the same thing as its right to exist as a jewish state if that existence is pred date the end displaysment ofen in jews begine flaw thursday he state's department definition of

anti-semitism it has no place in the campus speech code. although discussions may be uncomfortable for supporter and detractors, something i witness in my classes, its responsibility of students and educationot ares to foster die clock and not limit it to understand the historical immix is of speech to allow for the meaning and definition of terms and change as a conditions sequence of informed deliberation and debate. it's profoundly difficult to create a definition of anti-semitism that can be used for legislative purposes the root of the -- lies in intrackable problem how to critique jewish collective nature a weh-weh that is does not resident nice with a history of anti-semitism. the last thousand years of european history, jews were regularly chargizes as an exceptionol element who sought to underminimum the order. they're accused of below killers of christ and seeking to repeat this offense through the murder of innocent christian children.

jews were characterizes as usurpers of national identity, disloyaled? s, and subversives. that that's lo victimmer in to legislation and violence, and the area 20th century, yous were branded as biological and racial threat and an armies rose up to exterminate then. in each moment jews were imagined as united group. yet in 1948, with a funk israel as the solution to anti-semitism. the situation changed knowledge. a significant number of jews identifying as a national group gained actual and not military power -- imaginary power. today the state of israel has boreds, police, courts, military, nuclear arsenal, political parties, and a marginally democratic system, at least for jewish citizens.

like all other states, its actions are must permit told be a matter of public debate and discourse in the jewish community and outside of it. if speech that is critical of israel is considered anti-semitism. we're still learning how to talk about israel's actual power and repeated claims to represent jews all over the world in way that could not immediately echo older and anti-semitic depictions of imaginary jew wish power, this is because as we see in legislative initiatives such as the anti-semitism awareness exact the movement to stop bds to charactereye speech critical of israel as intrinsically anti-semitism and. considering the multiple and constantly shifting foreigns of anti-semitism that have emerged since the term anti-semitism first appeared in germany at the end of the 19th century, it's wrong for congress to establish

a legal authority on a definition of anti-semitism that is so contested. to insist that israel cannot be protested or objected to, to mandate that jewish collective power cannot be analyzed or debated, for conclude that jews because they're once victims of one of humanities greatest goodsal crimes are impugn -- genocidal crime, would reinforce -- perhaps the most dangerous of all attempts to broad then definition of anti-semitism to encompass clearly not anti-semitic only make it more difficult to recognize, isolate and oppose actual -- appears the legislation in congress has stalled, and maybe that its advocates will still get their way. la month, congress affirmed the appoint of ken inning marcus, an israel law fair strategist as head of the department of

education's office for civil rights. over the office of democrats andsive rights organizations and attorneys, marcus will now be a position implement the state department's definition and continue his long -- decade long effort to suppress academic speech and campus activism critical of israel. so, to conclude, in the invitation alert we were asked cutoverrer some signs of hope. the first speech i want to says during the black he check my phone and i saw the news that benjamin netanyahu just questions today for five hours by the police. so i take that as a good sign. on the eve othe apec conference seems to be a good thing, and shalom for that. but i think if we're serious about defeat actual anti-semitism, we also have to commit ourselves to ending the

occupation of's. they're intertwined struggles. we have to recognize that anti-semitism doesn't exist in a vacuum and to stop thinking of it in these exceptionallist ways. instead we need see the history of anti-semitism is part of the modern world's legacy of racial discrimination and persecution the present moment is no exception. instead of perpetuating a narrative of jewish exceptionalism by declaring that the only country we cannot criticize on college campuses is israel, we might instead draw from earlier period of american history when jews link he their fade to other opposed people. italian and jewish organized to form labor unions and founding the naacp and judge college students participate in voter recruit. driver with african-american he in south, and religious figures help foster post world war ii christian dialogue in the

understanding and form the alliances average coalition of palestinian rights organizations, both arrack and jewish, that caming to to stop the advancement of the anti-semitism awareness act in the house. the very next day, on november 8th, a petition with over 20,000 signatures would deliver to the anti-depth nation league by jewish voice for peace, demand take stop facilitating police training between israel and american law enforcement officials. a that same day the suit was thrown out bay judge who recognized the weakness of their complaint. so there are reasons to hope. we'll keep fighting and, continue to work side-by-side to create bond offered solidarity. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much.

our next speaker -- the director and senior scholar in the arab and muslim ethnicities and diasporas and associate prefer of ethnic studies and resistance study as san francisco state university. she is a cofounder and -- the cooeds an issue of gender, sexuality and racism. co-author of mobilizing democracy, changing u.s. policy in the middle east and coeditor of arab and arar men fem him ins, gender, violence and monthing her work has happened in seven languages in academic journals and the winner of the 212 national arab mesh nonfiction book award. as many of you are aware and as was reverenced, she and san francisco state university have been -- lame thing stool fosters a hoss stiff victim for jewish

student and that was thrown out. she as not let this smear campaign define her career so we are messed to welcome her to discuss how and i would the israeli lobby is suppressing free speech and academic freedom on college campuses. [applause] >> good morning. thank you so much for having me. i also want to acknowledge -- begin guy acknowledging we are convening on image dodge news people's stolen land and acknowledge the people -- [applause] -- acknowledge the people who are fighting day in and day out against all forms of racism and racial discrimination, from the people who are fighting against white supremacy to the people who are fighting against anti-semitism, islamophobia and anti-arab discrimination as well as people who are trying to

clean up washington. few for having me. so, last week -- heroics need to come here. last week, the president of san francisco stayed university said that signists are welcome on campus. her pea basically came out with a statement that it can share the slide with people. one for my presentation i wanted to just answer a few questioned. what does the statement mean to welcome zionists to coverage us? what is the history behind the statement. how does it relate to our discussion of the israeli lobby and where do we go from here? immediately after the president issued the statement i issued a statement right away saying that san francisco state is abandoning its social justice mission by welcoming zionists and i called upon people to reclaim to the social justice

region of san francisco state as we celebrate the 50th 50th anniversary of the 1968 san francisco stateside. i also argued as barry argued before mow there is no equivalents between zionism, israel, and anti-semitism. they're not one and the same. what happened also in addition to my statement is that there were multiple statements published that day. black students and other groups and groups fines vieon jim a merged and published a statement and jewish visit for peace publishinged a statement protesting president wong's statement. something we would not have seen 15 years ago oar 11 years ago. this is something that is really important also at this to the argue. that barry is making. things are changing. the tide has turned, and i think we really need to keep that in mind, and when we know that the

tide has turn, we know that they're going to become more vicious and they will target more and try to silence us. i also sent another statement last week, also fighting the words richard spencer, who said on israeli team that i'm other white zionist, as well as netanyahu, the son of netanyahu who basically trashed people who argued and organized against the white supremacy in charlottesville and said that actually organizers around palestinian rights are more damaging to that. obviously we know where the alliances are. so, meeting with the president, what does it stand for? wherever we stand, we stand with israel. led the national organization that is involved in silencing us, does not allow jewish students to belong to it who are for divestment and sanctions and does not allowed. one of the questions we are raising is again zionism,

israeli and jewishness are one and the same or who own jewishness. barry talk about that. but we have a history of silencing palestine sat fran francisco state. what is going on with the lawsuit that the judge dismissed but gave them leave to amend and they said they'll be amending. the project aided by a law firm in san francisco that is almost a thousand lawyers per one, i have two incredible, amazing pro-bono lawyers who are stand billing me, day in and day out and i would not change them for anybody. so we are fighting. [applause] >> and justices on our side. that's really important. but who is attacking palestine at fs new it's an -- the lobby industry network. the international jewish antisignist network it outlines

the fact that's israeli got has pull in millions of dollars so not a cot cottage injury. the only two groups who have -- we -- the brandeis center, which i'm sure he on the horizon and idf have been involved, copied 0 e-mails about attacking us about not directly. we have israeli soldiers on campus that continue to be in active duty in israeli army. so, we are squall thing new mccarthy jim and the reason we're saying it's -- this is because it's exactly as mccarthyism in the '50s work, it attaches terrorism label, it incites islamophobia, uses islamophobia by billing palestinians are terrorists and it is engages anti-semitic smear

and spreads misinformation for the allegation, the university emits regulations to curb freedom of speech and able to organize and teach and they police activist organizers and scholars. they try as the -- to ruin careers, basically the founder said that we are going to make the enemy pay in a vigil in 2016 in which he also said that palestinians and islamophobia does noter and and an francisco state university its one of their main targets. so by trying to ruin my career, they would like to make -- to teach a lesson to other junior scholars and recent ph.ds whose careers are on the line, watch out. this is what might happen to you. to silence people and engage in mccarthyist attacks to prevent people from speaking up, from

organizing, from doing interesting not justice, basically stay away from palestine. also at san francisco state a main target has been to stop and defund our program. that's part our my contract when i dime san francisco state use 2007, and rely on pro israel donors donors who are pouring millions of dollars in the another and the the university we will continue funding if you're able to discipline palestinian students students and shut down the program. and one of the ways that do it is backroom deals, lack of transparency, no accountability, happening in secret and the don't release the public record of foia that wee. don't release, period, and the reason we have the public record request is because the university gave it and my lawyers at the university just give us a copy of the public record that day give to law firm and they drag fir feet and final

live give us and we don't know if they've give us everything. they you think with such high profile case in the federal courts, the university lawyers would be watching the whole question of compliance at what is going on, but that's what they claim. and this is -- i'm knowing go tonight gun all of the history but this is from at least 2002, the palestinian has been silenced, intimidated. bull idea criminalized, i and smeared at san francisco state both by organizations within and outside the university. so when we talk about a war, of attrition has been declared, we talking about groups outside of the university that are collaborating with groups inside the university. so we don't see the two of them divorces inch 2002, for instance, san francisco state's president, after sanctioning palestinian students said -- they asked him to remover the sanctions. he said, why, so you can start

throwing bombs in january? he actually said that. one thing i want to talk about is in 2005-2006 the palestinian students proposed to have a -- lived in the mission district, painted murals, san francisco state has multiple murals on the wall so palestinian students wanted to build a mural and this is is the first rendition that was painted, proposed by two artist us. and if you notice, on the side -- on the didn't on your left side, you see the cartoon character tour of -- carrying a key, and on the other hand he is carrying a pen because the pen also signifies the palestinians saying, my word is my sword.

that or my gun. that words are really important to emphasize the intellectual value of learning and teaching in palestine. when you don't have that, the only thing you have is you're education. the san francisco state university president hand the key and he wasn't the only one. giant community relations council he said this cartoon in particular, the kid -- the -- the nonexistent cartoon character throws a stone at the israeli flags and gives him nightmares and makes him wear bulletproof vests and has to have therapy. this is the final approval of the key. we had to remove in 2007, the key, and basically put in its place, cactus. the two things happened. one is that the cactus is

long-living. doesn't die. but, two is that on the day of the unveiling of the mural, all palestinian students and their allies came to the mural unveiling wearing t-shirts with handel on them and he remains part of our -- in 2006 continues with the jcrc and lobbying san francisco stayed not to have a conference organized by students, in 2009, following the gaza 2008-2009 gaza -- war on gaza, san francisco state republicans organize an event supporting had ham mass. this was unapproved poster that went up that slows the shoes and says this is slow the shoes. the poster stayed up and students took it down and palestinian muslim, black, and

indigenous students took it down be the university not going to take it down because they're free tom of speech. the second-1/2 of the mural speaking about bds, san francisco state president cancelled searches for two fact tie lines to bill the program. chief of staff, testified that the board of supervisors oppose cause to lift the blockade of gaza and upset a conference we were trying to have. the campaign escalates more in 2013 after the new president met with the arab community, after his investiture he took a trip to israel and we were gearing up to the proposal. so the linkage is we were billing the program, they have already cancelled the session and starved the program. the program is one person, one faculty anybody with no

operating budget no safer no other faculty, and now is the time go for the kill. we were about to constitutionalize a program because then it doesn't matter if you have person-don't have person, works. so in 2013, israel lobby groups call ahmed -- accused of glorifying the murder of jews. an francisco state president did no investigate but immediately -- was silent when he was become attacked and condemned speech and was -- and collaborated with the israeli consulate and the fbi investigate students. in 2014 i was going on a sabbatical and i led the delegation to palestine in which we began to one with the university about setting up a memorandum of understanding,

because our president wanted the -- to become a global university and engage with other institution size was really acting upon his wishes because i have relation with palestinian. i don't need to formal lies them in order to have them happen. the is when -- the delegation we met with, we met -- disappeared. anyway, it may be done. and then they started accusing again me of terrorism and, anti-semitism, and also accuse me of criminality, misuse of university taxpayer funds to go to palestine because we not allowed to learn about palestine. taxpayers funds should be used to build bombs and nuclear weapons and kill people and from israel and against espouse they demand criminal investigation. i was ordered by the college of ethnic studies by the university administration and every single order came out saying i did nothing wrong. all the allegations are unfounded. the university took 20 days to

publish a public statement just to say these are the fiendings 20 days they rye zested and then the meantime the lobby wasn't happy so they pedestrian televisiones the controller of the state of california to have gone me. san francisco stayed ordered five, year audit of my international travel, not a single question was beside missing receipts or a penny. every question was political. why are you doing this? why are you building -- why there is an moument why does this sunshine why does the travel to palestine? the provost reevokes my trip to palestine, and a week before the state department issued an as advisory not to travel so this was not a result of the advisory. in the fall of 2014 we passed a memorandum of understanding. the president and the provost meesing with the college of egg nick studies. we discussed how would the program would be support and the proves twice said to me in opt

of everybody we do not fund holocaust deniers. there's no reason. i teach the holocaust and jewish history in my courses. but -- and president want me to maintain silent. nobody rose to my defense. the president promise meds to reinstate the faculty line and we began two, ago work on a scholarship donatessed bay graduating student who wanted the university to have a scholarship so when they go to university they can apply for it and have excellent education. the zionist resident on campus trying to upset the scholarship but they made it happen and we now hey the scholarship. in spring 2014, after we passed -- now we have a minor, we have the memorandum of

understanding. we hold two conferences, one at the university, one with the national university, we observe military tribunal offered children being held in israeli court. go to organized -- we come back and we report. we reporting and we issue a statement. and so san francisco -- the university hosts me, the -- slings a machine gun and calls for the killing of arabs so student attacked and protested, and other students organized a hunger strike. this is the delegation and this is where we meeting with the family -- at. now this is the protest. then we get put on the mission. i myself and my students, and they give away their home

addresses, their work, some of our students receive sexual threats of violence, and the president wong issued a statement to apologize and reinvite them to campus. in summer the hired an investigator who conclude the students did disrupt the speech but it was against him and israel there was no violence involved and it was not about anti-semitism. it was against israel. in the fall of 2016 we have the past year attacks after attack, campus watch, middle east forum launched a petition to demand that the agreement was -- and palestinian university, they called the -- they accuse me of terrorism, also called for me to be fire. this is the petition. and then david horowitz put out ads -- i wanted ad -- that basically wanted -- all over, 26

were found -- students took them down. the he police said there were no cameras that day and there was nothing they saw nothing. faculty was very supportive. majority of organization is don't have time to say. this is part of the campaign. this is the last -- the order that appears on campus. all over campus, including on the garage of the administration building. that everybody in the administration went to park and saw the poster and did not do anything about them. we passed during that period we got two courses reached. the palestinian mural, standing room only celebration of the mural, and the students held weekly teachins to protest the coming of trump. this is the -- come on, okay. and in february, they held a

rights fair which is now under investigation and they also organized events to support palestinian prisoners who were on hunger strike in april. on may 3rd we have another set of forces, second set of forces on campus. and in june, the lawsuit you hear be and i found about it from camp bus watch two weeks because nobody the university tell me and i was not appointed a mother until a month afterwards. that's why i found my lawyers. we refused refused to be deraild organize a big event. we had very big participation, but september 21st, horwitz again -- the posters. okay. and let me just go back.

what this response? this is what the students associated students did. they put up the palestinian flag. they published poster, hate speech is not free speech. they said we will not be silent and we will not be see lent. what we do, we tone to do. we continue to teach our hases that-under full to the campus. we continue to do with no resources, public education programs using the classrooms to bring the community, the faculty, the students, multiple peopling to to organize everything in there, and we continue to teach palestine and i'm very proud to announce that in two weeks we'll by holding two conferences, on teaching palestine and the indivisible of justice because we will not be silenced. we will not be signs led. we will not be derailed. justice will prevail. thank you. [applause]

[applause] >> thank you very much. that was incredible. so we have about ten minutes or so for questions. so if you're holding toni cards, find an usher and do send them forward. we'll begin with a can question. someone wants to know if you could elaborates on the state department definition of anti-semitism, when was little adopted, what president or administration was in power when that happened, was its done bay congressional action and done without public knowledge? >> i'll do my best to answer

that. i don't know all of the specifics. i think it began around 2009, considering the last administration. and it was an appropriation of this working definition that had been undertaken by the european monitoring group, and that was really just a working definition so they could begin examining the phenomenon and trace anti-semitism in europe. but it became encoded into state department policy and you could go online and i had to actually peek over your shoulder and saw the question and looked it up. go to to state department web site you can see it. the primary definition isn't particularly offensive in any way. says anti-semitism is certain perception of jews which may be expressed as hatred toward jews, which seems very straightforward. rhetorical and physical manifestation are directed towards jewish or nonjewish individuals, the property and so on the problem becomes -- that in itself seems fine to me.

the problem is where they give you the examples of what contemporary anti-semitism is. and the first few are fine, it's about demonizing jews, making stereotypical allegations and and then starts going -- saying things like accusing jewish citizen of being more loyal to israel or priority of jewels worldwide and then a whole sex on anti-semitism related to senior and this where is the speech of exceptionalism begins to be encodessed into policy, and if the anti-semitism act goes through it will be encoded into law. the three ds, demonizing israel, applying a double standard for israel and delegitimizing israel. so says if you use symbols so-ed with classic anti-semitism, i tend to agree with that. then has other comparisons which are totally in my mind

illegitimate, such as drawing comparisons of contemporary israeli poll so i to that of the nazis. that's happen all the time among jews. i've been called a capo, you hear israelis talking to ewan would, accusing one another of act can like nazis in all sorts of ways. what they're saying is jews can say things to jews but nonjews can't say thosing toes to jew us without being anti-semitism and a violation of law and this is the problem of exceptionalism comes in. such comparisons began even prior to the creation of the state of israel. a famous letter that albert einstein and others signed when i think it was more should diane dime the united states and they declared he is a fascist and shouldn't be allowed into the united states, macing a clear comparison with the tragedy in europe. so jews have been doing this since the beginning of naziism.

interestingly, at the very earned there's a little caveat and set a side from the res of the definition situation, however, to that leveled against other country cannot be regard as anti-semitism. so as long as you're cite size ago donees there along with israel, it's okay, but if you choose for focus your attention on israel, somehow it's anti-semitism. which is like saying that if you're an organization that is trying defend the human rights of north koreans and that's the focus of your organization, you're anti-korean for doing so because you're e you're just folk can goes on one country. they're insist insisting on exceptional jim aspect to this code. >> a question for -- someone wants to know the extent to which the can anywhere ray mission has -- -- canary

mission -- >> the cab nary mission has good news is that twitter has can do town the canary mission account. so, at least we know that there are some people that are holding folks to the same kind of accountability. but it wasn't just canary mission. canary mission has definitely intimidated and scared people on campus. it also is the various ways in which what i call the israel lobbiy in campus is working in the sense that now students can't even find rooms to reserve a time when we want to have events he new head of management is our main resident zionist on campus so now they force the college to ensure the room where we had an event, palestine sat fran felonies state on february 7th, the first time in 1 years of my being -- 11

years of my being at san francisco state that conference room is in short. first time and i objected before it happened and they said this is constructing a dangerous people when you are saying student safety and i would is student safety being endanger? we never had problem. our only problem is we had too many people and not enough space. sometimes we have to go out to have event. why is this constructed and what this means is that now every single event that is going to happen in the college of ethnic studies has to be insured. in order for them to show that there is no disparate treatment. so, yes, it's been really difficult. we have had rooms that were cancelled. students are very afraid to speak up. last week one of the students had an argument in one of the classes about zionism, and the zionist student complained to administration that they made her uncomfortable and as a result, the student was called to the chair's office, and she actually had to go with a lawyer

from palestine legal because she did not know what was going to happen because students are being prosecuted left and right, even though that independent investigation came out saying that there is nothing that -- there was nothing anti-semitic to no violence involved in the process, nonetheless the university two days after the lawsuit was file on june 19th, on un22nd came out with a statement saying that the event shows the ugly face of anti-semitism. it doesn't make sense. it doesn't make sense but the only way it makes sense is because san francisco state university has only now a third of funding from the state of california so rather than going to the state back and saying, fund education, what they are doing is they're allowing on donor, private donors and this is the defunded offering the education so the university becomes account able to the donors who say we're going to give you $145 million in fungs and then take away if you don't discipline palestinian students and stop the program.

so all of this stuff is making it very difficult. so not just the canary mission. it's actually much bigger than that and on one way woe are demanding transparency, and the accountability, let's get all of the stuff in the flood light and see who is actually follow the law and who is violating the rye law and who is trying to silence us and if we're wrong on our -- let's put it out there and when we put out nut public space, people support, as we know this is what is going on. thank you. >> now we have a question for barry again. do you believe in the concept of hate speech in every good idea for the government to police hate speech. elaborate on that. >> i'm not a free speech expert or hate speech expert. i think there is hate speech. certainly. when it's targeted against particular groups, based on

racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual identity. many categories of that. and i think that it makes sense for universities to be always debating these subjects. i'm concerned about codes of speech, although i think there's times where they're necessary. such as what we have been seeing -- shaw in charlottesville, for example could shouldn't by allowed on college campus. i think these are really tricky questions and it's hard to identify what hate speech is, especially in a case such as this one, where you have people who have instrumentallized speech against israel and have been able to successfully make the case that it is a form of hate speech and insisting on this association that israel is the jewish people, that judaism is zionism, when these things are not the case.

>> have palestinian professors across the country developed communication networks to try coordinates a plan to countering a the zionist campus message? >> ick answer that question and say something about barry's question. >> sure. >> yes there are networks. people can interact with each other but as we know there has been a very big blow to palestinian organize to go the u.s. both abuse of the fear that the israeli lobby and -- i say israel lobby, i'm -- this is not a code name for jewish organizations because people think this is not as barry explained in the paper and explain in many instances but as a result of fearmongerring, as a result of targeting people, we are in touch with each other but not just palestinians. i thick at really important to emphasize that the people who are working for justice for

palestine are not only palestinians, arabs or muslims, this is not a special goods group. this a question that involves justice. this is a question that affects all of us. it affects all of us who are involved in justice for palestine. and it's involved all of white house are interested in maintaining our campuses as spaces for critical thinking forks debate, for learning, for not being scared every single time, feeling police if you want to say something. it's really important for us to protect that. so it is not just about us. whole mccarthyism is not about us. stuff happening to prefer is not only about palestinians. the problem is in our imaginary we think about palestine in one part of our brain and we think another things in other parts but we'll ya need to think about them together. if we think, if we institute the framework of the invisible of justice then we can see how these can goes are connected and we have a san francisco state, the union, our union, twice,

passed resolution, now win to at the san francisco labor council. pass passed twice in supporting first time in history the resolution on palestine. this is really important. this is really significant, and this connections the issue. the fact that young kids, last friday, palestinian students were on campus and i wasn't. when president wong's statement came out, it was other students who took it upon themselves to put on the ground zionism, zionists are not welcome, it wasn't us. it wasn't even palestinians, arabs or muslins. our coalition includes people, jewish voice for peace, practically live on campus, and people from the 68 strikers, people from black students union and the panthers from the japanese community and asia community, poor working i'm, last tinas. we have a -- latinas and we have a huge coalition. i i think this is really important to think that -- one

thing we need to remember is the majority of the community supports justice for palestine and i think in the united states, because this is a worst think to think about advertise because of the existty support of israel from the government -- from the dot, not the people -- people do got realize the people in the united states are joining the rest of the world community in support justice for palestine and is is is not an exceptioning. he same thing happened in south africa. takes a whiling for people in this country to join, judging by who voted for the person in the white house -- i mean, it's no rocket science but more and more people saying no. this is not okay, and joining the community. so it's important to say we're not alone. yes, we get targeted and it's really hard but every single time you think about all the people who are struggle, all the people who are coming to, this amazing coalition for justice.

it gives you power. and i think the most important thing is that people in palestine are steadfast and are staying put and experiencing what we call -- and those are of white house in the rest of the world are also responding to that and work according to justice. so it's really important not to think only about pistons or muslims or arabs or jews but to think bat broad community that coming to to build this. >> we're out of time. that's positive way to end the panel. they will be signing their books by registration now. it's time for lunch. lunch will be served behind those doors. we'll see you after lunch. [inaudible conversations]

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>> both the president and the executive director of the nra sent out tweets