Thursday, April 21, 2011

JVP: Free Speech for me but not for thee

Jewish Voice for Peace , an organization Jewish in name only has made a regular practice of disrupting the speech of those they disagree with, and encouraging others to do the same. They've coordinated the disruption of speakers they disagree with from coast to coast, and have proudly used the incidents for fundraising. ("Oh. Look at us. We are so brave and edgy so send us money, why don't you?") Jewish Voice for Peace was among those who sent a letter to Chancellor Michael Drake at the University of California at Irvine ("UCI"), condemning the recommended suspension of the University's Muslim Student Union who repeatedly interrupted Michael Orens' in February. They coordinated the disruption of PM Netanyahu at the New Orleans General Assembly, as well

JVP's Cecilie Surasky was unhappy with the Jewish community's response to an anti-Israel conference at a local law school. In a recent op ed in the San Francisco Chronicle, JVP's Cecilie Surasky expressed her concern that "serious debate...will be shut down", calling it a "threat not just to academic freedom but to American free speech. "

Cecilie seems much less concerned about protecting "American free speech" that she doesn't agree with. Perhaps she would prefer if we followed her lead, and just shouted down the speakers we don't agree with?

2 comments:

Gary Fouse said...

A couple of months ago, Matan Cohen, Rachel Roberts and some other woman from SVP spoke at UCI. They justified their disruptions of Netanyahu in New orleans and the MSU disruption of Michael oren by calling it- "Useless discourse" and their conduct as "direct action". During the Q & A, I told Cohen (an Israeli) that it was offensive and arrogant for him to come to our country and lecture us on who does and does not have the right to be heard. I told him that this was America and everyone had a right to speak their piece. Later, Roberts lost her temper and accused me of saying Cohen didn't have the right to speak because he wasn't an American. I told her she was a liar. (She is).

Gary Fouse
Adj teacher
UCI-Ext
fousesquawk

Shlomo Ben Hungstien said...

if you watch this video from outside the AIPAC dinner meeting you'll see i was engaged with some of the anti-Israel people there which included among them JVP of course. at one point i was having a civil but candid discussion with a Cecilie. could this have been the JVP Cecilie i was talking to? as you can see her and i have a difference of opinion as to what defines "intelligence".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq9poZJzlow