The direction of the University Paris 8 yields
to pressure from the CRIF and cancels a conference
We learn with consternation that the President of the University Paris 8 has decided to retract the authorization that had been previously granted for a conference entitled "Israel, a state of apartheid?" This initiative, to be held on the 27th and 28th February, intended to bring together specialists from France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Belgium in order to have a rational discussion about the aforementioned subject matter.
Using the pretext of possible "trouble to public order", the President of Paris 8 has retracted permission for the conference, despite there having been detailed knowledge of the program, the speakers and a budget allocated by the management of the university for the event.
What is clear is that the intolerable pressure exerted by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) has led the President of Paris 8 to retract its permission for the event. In a recently published statement, the CRIF denounced the conference, waving the threat of possible disturbance to "public order".
Is it no longer possible to exercise freedom of speech in French universities in relation to the field of the politics of Israel and Palestine? According to the CRIF and its followers, the response is no. This buckling in the face of pressure from the CRIF is not unusual. Last year it succeeded in shutting down a forum for discussion, which resulted in the cancellation of a conference at the Ecole Normal Supérieur (ENS).
The cancellation of the upcoming conference and last year's at the ENS is a clear demonstration of how the management of a public academic institution will yield to the injunctions and threats from a corpus that presents itself as the voice of the entire Jewish community in France but is in reality a mouthpiece for the Israeli embassy.
We ask the President of Paris 8 to reverse this decision and permit the conference to take place. Freedom of expression and academic liberties are far too precious to be smothered by intimidation campaigns.
Endorsing organizations (in alphabetical order) :
14 Friends of Palestine, Marin, California
Al Awda, The Netherlands
Al Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
Al-Awda NY- The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
Al-Nakba Awareness Project
American Arab Forum, New Jersey, USA
Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine.
Association Belgo-Palestinienne (ABP)
Bay Area Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace
Bay Area Women in Black, Oakland, California, USA
BDS Catalonia
BDS Group Berlin
BDS South Africa
Birmingham Peace Project
Birthright Unplugged
Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign - Vancouver
Breed Platform Palestina (Haarlem), The Netherlands
BRICUP, British Committee for the Universities of Palestine
Central New York Working for a Just Peace in Palestine & Israel - Syracuse New York, USA
Centre international d'études pédagogiques - CIEP
Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA), Toronto, Canada
CODEPINK Women for Peace
Comitato Pace, Disarmo e Smilitarizzazione del Territorio- Campania
Comitato Palestina Bologna, Italy
Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine, Oak Park Illinois
COMMIT - Community Leadership Institute: Growing Justice & Accountability
Coordinamento Pace e Solidarieta, Parma, Italia
Cornell Student for Justice in Palestine (JSP)
CU-Divest! Don’t Invest in Israeli Apartheid
Ecumenical Working Group for Middle East Peace, Philadelphia, PA USA
EPACBI, European Platform for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
Forum Palestina, Italy
Free Palestine and Secure Israel
Free Palestine Movement
Friends of Palestine (WI)
Haags Vredesplatform, The Netherlands
Hope Foundation, The Netherlands
Humanistisch Vredesberaad, The Netherlands
ICACBI, Italian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel
Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
InterDenominational Advocates for Peace in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
International Committee of the National Lawyers Guild, US
International Socialist Organization (ISO), USA
International Solidarity Movement - Italy (Turin)
International Solidarity Movement - Italy (Udine)
International Solidarity Movement - Northern California
Internationale Socialisten (IS), The Netherlands
Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions-USA
Justice First Foundation, Inc.
Jews for Justice for Palestinians, London
Justice for Palestinians, San Jose, CA USA
Justice Voices
Keep Hope Alive Olive Tree Campaign-USA
Labor for Palestine - New York City Labor Against the War
Labor for Palestine (U.S.)
Leidse Actiegroep Stop de Bezetting, The Netherlands
Miami-Dade Green Party
MidEast: JustPeace (Traverse City, Michigan, USA)
Nederlands Arabische Stichting (NAS), The Netherlands
Nederlands Palestina Komitee, The Netherlands
New Profile
New School Students for Justice in Palestine,
New School University, New York, NY, USA.
Osservatorio EuroMediterraneo e del Mar Nero
Palestijnse Gemeenschap Nederland (PGN), The Netherlands
Palestina Komitee Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Palestina Komitee Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Palestina nel cuore (Rome, Italy)
Palestine Solidarity Committee - Harvard College
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)
Peace Action Montgomery (Montgomery County, Maryland, USA)
Penn for Palestine, University of Pennsylvania
PennBDS, University of Pennsylvania
People of Faith CT
Right To Education, Birzeit University, Palestine
Saint Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
San José Peace and Justice Center
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights - University of British Columbia (SPHR - UBC)
Stanford Students for Palestinian Equal Rights
Stichting Palestijnse Vrouwen in Nederland, The Netherlands
Stichting Palestina, The Netherlands
Stichting Stop de Bezetting, The Netherlands
Students Allied for Freedom & Equality, University of Michigan
Students for Justice in Palestine- University of New Mexico
Talliq, The Netherlands
Task Force on Peace with Justice in Palestine/Israel of United Methodist Upper New York Conference
Temple University Students for Justice in Palestine
The Committee for Peace in Israel of East Hampton, NY USA
The Free Palestine Subcommittee, US
The Norwegian comitee for academic and cultural boycott of the state of Israel (AKULBI), Norway
Tiye International, The Netherlands
Trade Union Friends of Palestine (Irish Congress of Trade Unions)
Transnational Institute (TNI), The Netherlands
U4P, The Netherlands
Un ponte per...
Universitaire Activisten, The Netherlands
US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
US Palestine Community Network- (USPCN)
US Palestinian Community Network
VAMEP - Virginains for Middle East Peace, Arlington, VA
Verenigde Wereldburgers voor Internationaal Recht, The Netherlands
Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
Veterans for Peace in the USA, New Hampshire
Vrijwillige Internationale Aktie (VIA), The Netherlands
Vrouwen in het Zwart, The Netherlands
Way to Jerusalem - Church of the Savior , Washington DC
Werkgroep Keerpunt, The Netherlands
WILPF Nederland, The Netherlands
Yorkshire Palestine Cultural Exchange, Sheffield