Stir it up

Three articles, the first two about SFSU and the last about Mandela, the ANC, and the unfinished work of emancipatory politics in South Africa.

Item One:

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/event-honoring-edward-said-prompts-zionist-smear-campaign-against-san

Item Two:

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24600284/s-f-state-student-who-shouted-at-obama

Item Three:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/09/if-nelson-mandela-really-had-won

3 thoughts on “Stir it up”

  1. Ana Doria-Quesada

    Very interesting articles. It is heartening to know that a student, a young person, is passionate enough to take action. I have often felt the young generation is too comfortable and has forgotten what my generation did for their comfort. On the Palestinian article it sounds like a case of over reacting and misplaced action. I understand the jewish people need a place to call their own but so the Palestinians and there has to be a peaceful way to resolve the problem. They are not that different. Even their religions spring form the same root. You can not call the Israelis colonizers. However, the Palestinians have been displaced and made to accommodate, without being asked, a new people.

  2. Jonathan Cohen

    I think it’s unfortunate that you chose to use a horridly biased and anti-semitic article to spread awareness for the free speech issue with the General Union of Palestinian Students. As a fringe-leftist Jew, I must say that even though I believe that Israel should continue to exist as a Jewish homeland, it has no right to treat the Palestinians as second class citizens. This does not excuse the encouragement of violence against innocent Jews in the united states, and it is unfair to call us colonizers. GUPS has a history of inciting violence against Jewish students on campus and has direct funding from Hamas and Hezbollah. This is not okay.

    1. apciv Post author

      Hi Jonathan,
      I’m not sure what “fringe-leftist” means (socialist? anarcho-syndicalist?) but with all due respect I think your comment is disingenuous. You claim that the blog linked to is “anti-Semitic” yet offer no example to support this charge, a standard hasbara tactic intended to muddy the waters of vigorous debate. The same can be said of the red herring of Israel’s “existence”. As a reasonable interlocutor—as someone who claims to defend the civil rights of Palestinians—surely you’d agree that to be critical of state policies does not entail calling for the destruction of the state?

      As to the issue of free speech your remarks seem to suggest that this right does not extend to those who “incite violence”. Would that proscription include John Kerry, in his efforts to force a military strike on Syria? Would you argue that the African National Congress be deprived of the opportunity to challenge South Africa’s apartheid-era government?

      Frankly, I know very little about GUPS. If you have evidence that its members have called for physical attacks on “innocent Jews of the united states” I’d be happy to examine it with an open mind. This post was intended to gesture at SFSU students’ engagement with fraught political issues. Thank you for taking the time to respond. Feel free to continue this discussion. Peace.
      Sean

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