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AN URGENT call to action has been issued by activists who support the right of Francesa Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occuied Palestinian Territories to speak to university audiences.
Francesca wants to publicise her observations of the brutality Palestinians face in areas occupied by the Israeli state. A shadowy group called the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) is organising protests to try to stop her, claiming that her talks will make Jewish students feel unsafe on their university campuses.
No evidence has been made public that Jewish students on the affected campuses feel unsafe, and there is concern that the group is using false claims about safety to silence those who want to report and discuss what is actually going on in Palestine. The protests also create an atmosphere which others might try to use to their own advantage: there are fears that racist and far right activists might turn up to CAA’s protests and inflame the situation.
Students at SOAS gathered yesterday to defend Francesca’s right to speak. Her next talk is due to be held at Queen Mary on Tuesday, 12th November. Several racist organisations have stated that they will turn up to Queen Mary to try to stop her. Students have appealed to anti-racists to join them to protect free speech. The counterprotest will begin at 11am outside the clock tower at the Queen’s Building Gate (the main entrance). The students have asked people who come to support them not to engage with the racist/right protestors but to stay together with anti-racist counterprotestors.
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