Open Promotion of Terrorist Organization at San Francisco State University

The PFLP is an internationally recognized terror group, responsible for terror attacks across the globe.
From the Global Security website:

• July 22, 1968. PFLP hijacked its first plane, an El Al flight from Rome to Tel Aviv.

• September 1970. PFLP hijacked three passenger planes and took them to airfields in Jordan, where the PLO was then based; after the planes were emptied, the hijackers blew them up. In response, King Hussein of Jordan decided that Palestinian radicals had gone too far and drove the PLO out of his kingdom.

• 1972. PFLP and Japanese Red Army gunmen murdered two dozen passengers at Israel's international airport in Lod. Okudaira and two other Japanese radicals were trained and sent by the PFLP into Israel to perpetrate what is now called the Lod Airport massacre in May 1972. It is likely that the three men were not members of any well~established organization in Japan, but rather individuals who were motivated by the goals of the PFLP in combating Israel. PFLP spokesman in June 1972 readily admitted that the PFLP had trained and dispatched the Japanese terrorists on the Lod mission.

• 1973. On 20 July 1973 a combined JRA-PFLP group hijacked a Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 747 as it departed Amsterdam's international airport. The aircraft was hijacked by five terrorists, who included both Palestinians and members of the leftist Japanese Red Army. 87 hours after the hijack began, the aircraft landed at Banghazi and was set on fire and ultimately destroyed. One of the hijackers was killed by her own grenade.

• 1976. breaking a PLO agreement to end terrorism outside Israeli-held territory, PFLP members joined with West German radical leftists from the Baader-Meinhof Gang to hijack an Air France flight bound for Tel Aviv and landed the plane in Entebbe, Uganda. In a now famous raid, Israeli commandos stormed the plane on the Entebbe tarmac and freed the hostages.

• October 2001. PFLP gunmen shot dead Iraeli Tourism minister Rechavam Ze'evi, in a Jerusalem hotel-the first assassination of an Israeli minister

• April 2002, Israeli officials foiled a PFLP attempt to blow up a Tel Aviv skyscraper with a car bomb-which could have caused massive casualties and would have marked a dramatic escalation in Palestinian terrorism.

• February 16, 2002 - Suicide bombing at Karnei Shomron pizzeria, in which three people were killed and 30 wounded.

• May 19, 2002 - Suicide bombing at Netanya outdoor market, in which three people were killed and about 60 wounded.

• June 20, 2002 - Terrorist infiltration of Itamar, in which five were killed - including a mother and her three sons - and eight wounded.

• December 25, 2003 - Suicide bombing at the Geha junction, in which four people were killed and over 20 wounded.

Recently,  Palestinian associated with the PLFP terror group murdered 5 Rabbis with meat cleavers and axes as they prayed in Jerusalem on November 18 2014. A sixth victim, a Druze Israeli policeman was also killed.

The logo of the PFLP leaves no doubt of their goal-  the eventual takeover of all of Israel, from the "river to the sea"

Why is GUPS , the General Union of Palestinian Students at taxpayer supported San Francisco State University openly promoting this terrorist organization on their Facebook page?

SFSU: The battle cry of the coward is "But I'm the victim".

Its enough to make George Orwell spin in his grave.  In a move so cynically twisted and morally bankrupt it nearly defies description, anti-Israel students at  SFSU  who disrupted a speech by the mayor of Jerusalem are claiming the mantle of victimhood.

Yes, really.

At an April 6 talk sponsored by San Francisco State University Hillel  Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat  was prevented from speaking by an unruly crowd, to the intense frustration of those who had gathered to hear him speak. University officials stood by and did nothing.

From Aaron Parker, who was at the aborted talk:

The administrators’ and police’s high profile inaction emboldened the mob, which consequently grew louder and more brazen.  We waited and waited for the disruptors to be removed so the event could proceed, but it never happened.  Eventually, Mayor Barkat asked us to huddle around him so he could speak to us over the mob’s chants, but it was a lost cause.

“Get the fuck off our campus, get the fuck off our campus,” the mob yelled at us with bullhorns, indoors, over and over.  “Get the fuck off our campus.”

Students at SFSU described their frustration at the course of events:

From the Golden Gate Xpress, the SFSU school newspaper

“We have a right to hear what (Barkat) has to say, and we can’t hear it with all that,” physiology major Sarah Herman said, gesturing to the protestors...

“I think it’s really unfortunate that we’re not allowed an environment where we can have an open dialogue,” political science major Antonia Ford said. “I have no issue with having different opinions and being angry, but they’re not here to talk, they’re here to yell, and that will never achieve anything.”

The latest development in this ongoing saga? From the website of the anti-Israel group US Campaign - a petition urging SFSU President Wong not to investigate the incident.

The text of the petition follows:

Dear SFSU President Leslie Wong,

I am writing to you to express my deep concerns over the recent backlash against students who participated in the April 6th 2016 protest to the visit to SF State by the Mayor of occupied Jerusalem, Nir Barkat. Barkat has promoted and orchestrated ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Jerusalem. SFSU is a public educational institution with a long history of promoting social justice and centering the narratives of injustice the world over, including Indigenous communities, communities of color and other marginalized and colonized communities. The students who protested were standing up for those very values. 

I am also concerned about the impact of the recent backlash, which has included online bullying, smearing, in person harassment, sexual harassment, and even death threats, especially in an already pervasive climate of anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia. 

Please  take the following steps:

1. Immediately stop the administrative investigation to punish students’ speech activity, and instead protect students’ safety, rights, and ability to continue to participate in their educational pursuits. 

2. Condemn the bullying, smearing, sexual harassment and death threats that are targeting student protesters and investigate the organizations attacking these students, and the relationship between members of the administration, and the University. 

3. Implement training for faculty and administrators on Islamophobia and the proper enforcement of Title VI protections against anti-Muslim and anti-Arab discrimination, including that experienced on the SFSU campus.

The General Union of Palestinian Students at SFSU define cowardice.

They lacked the intellectual discipline to question Nir Barkat.  They lacked the moral backbone to defend their position. They lacked the courage to face the consequences of their very public tantrum, instead whining "But I'm the victim".  It remains to be seen if San Francisco State University president Les Wong will capitulate to this perverse moral inversion.

San Francisco State University bullies identified as Linda Ereikat and Lubna Morrar

San Francisco State University students  Linda Ereikat & Lubna Morrar have been identified by the website Canary Mission as the leaders of the protest that shut down a Hillel sponsored talk with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.

From Canary Mission:
On April 6, 2016, Morrar and fellow GUPS SFSU member Linda Ereikat led a large group of anti-Israel protesters that shouted down Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, while he was speaking at SFSU.

Upon entering the room, Morrar led the group in yelling, “Get the f**k of our campus!” Following which Ereikat led the group in other aggressive and violent chants including “Intifada, Intifada!” as well as, “If we don’t get no justice, then you don’t get no peace” and “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!” — a call for Israel’s destruction.

Barkat’s personal security guards sprang to ensure his safety and a campus police officer arrived while student leaders from the event attempted to dialogue with the protesters. The protesters persisted in their disruption, forcing Barkat to move from the podium to sit with the audience, in an attempt to continue his talk.

TITLE V. Article 2. Standards for Student Conduct of San Francisco State University clearly states

Student Behavior that is not consistent with the Student Conduct Code is addressed through an educational process that is designed to promote safety and good citizenship and, when necessary, impose appropriate consequences.

This includes

Willful, material and substantial disruption or obstruction of a University-related activity, or any on-campus activity.

and

Participating in an activity that substantially and materially disrupts the normal operations of the University, or infringes on the rights of members of the University community.

Will there be "appropriate consequences"? Will SFSU President Les Wong do the right thing?  The odds are not good

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Is SFSU President Les Wong Part of the problem?

Our community is dismayed and disappointed by the lack of civility and disrespect that we saw this week at San Francisco State University.  Eyewitnesses reported that police and administrators stood by and did nothing while bullies from the General Union of Palestinian students (GUPS) and other groups screamed obscenities in an attempt to disrupt an appearance of Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat on campus  Afterward, the response of university to the disruption was predictably lukewarm.

Imagine if any other student group had been targeted. Would the response have been the same? Where are the safe spaces at SFSU for Jewish students?

San Francisco State University's General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) has been in the news before.  The president of the organization, Mohammad Hammad posted a photo on his tumblr account , declaring "I seriously can not get over how much I love this blade. It is the sharpest thing I own and cuts through everything like butter and just holding it makes me want to stab an Israeli soldier."

The San Francisco State University General Union of Palestinian students neither condemned Hammad's words, nor distanced themselves from them.

Why does SFSU continue to tolerate the intolerable?

It may be a top-down approach.

In a reception last year to celebrate the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diaspora Minor at San Francisco State University, University President Les Wong makes his feelings about the General Union of Palestinian students very clear. Pres. Wong appears between 15:23 and 30:10 in the clip.

In the clip, Les Wong, the president of a tax-payer funded university in a major US city  expresses his admiration for a group that glorifies violence on campus, declaring:



"I want to offer my personal congratulations to the student leadership of GUPS. They have been an inspiration for me. And they have helped me when I have to tell other community groups to mind their own business. GUPS is the very purpose of this great university."

General Union of Palestinian Students Event , SFSU

Les Wong actually visited the university called the "greenhouse for martyrs"  before he signed the MOU between SFSU and An-Najah University.  He spoke about his trip to Palestine, asking "Why aren't we signing more relationships with Arab Universities?", and declared  "as we repair the budget here, as we implement the strategic plan I have not lost sight of the commitment we've made to add faculty to support  students who want to learn more about the Arab world, and for me, Palestine in particular."

Wong adds: "We've tried to do some important things and that is to make sure our soul is still connected to the communities that are important to us, and thats this community. And when we do not participate, serve or respect that community we have in many ways lost our soul."

The students of the Jewish group Hillel would likely agree that SFSU  neither serves nor protects  their community, and that this university had indeed lost its soul. Increasingly it appears that a culture of intolerance is enabled from the top down at SFSU.

Yawn. Another Protest in front of the Israeli consulate

Today, a 13 year old Israeli  boy is fighting for his live after he was stabbed by terrorists. He was targeted because he was a Jew, living in the nation-state of the Jewish people.

The UN is silent. The world media is silent.

The latest series of attacks is gleefully heralded by some as a new “Intifada”, glorifying the violence and unrest that has led to dozens of unprovoked attacks on the Israeli public. It is a direct result of incitement in the Palestinian media, government and in its religious institutions.

In response to this new wave of terror targeting Israeli civilians, several local hate groups are getting together to shout their empty slogans on an empty financial district street. The inflammatory rhetoric from the groups publicizing this local protest echoes the false claims we hear from the extremist elements all over the Middle East

The group of jihadi-wannabees, miscreants, and spare change from various failed social movements will be gathering in front of the Israeli consulate in San Francisco on Thursday  October 15 at 6:00pm.

Quoting our old friend ATBOTH "If a Jihadi falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?"

Sponsors include

The General Union of Palestinian students (not surprising they would support knife attacks on Israeli civilians,  given the fetish of their former president Mohammed Hammad)

Mohammad Hammad of the San Francisco State General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS)

Palestine Youth Movement-PYM
The Freedom Archives
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
Students for Justice in Palestine
Arab Resource and Organizing Center-AROC
ANSWER Coalition SF
Student Kouncil of Inter-tribal Nations
Workers World Party and International Action Center

Why the late start time?  The group is desperately trying to gather enough  people to march down Market street under the cover of darkness.

As Jewish blood runs in the streets, Palestinians protest in San Francisco

Via Emunah

Remember when the Palestinians massacred 8 children at Mecatz Harav and their compatriots protested at the San Francisco Israeli consulate?

Its happening again.

105 rock attacks, 35 firebombings, and three stabbing attacks took place across Israel today.

As Jewish blood flows in the streets of Israel, a protest is planned in front of the Israeli consulate in San Francisco, 456 Montgomery, because the Palestinians are the victims, damn it, the victims and don't you ever forget that.

This salute to terror is sponsored by the General Union of Palestinians students (GUPS)

Thursday Oct 15 6 pm.

Jewish students at SFSU: Never stop dancing

On the Shabbat after 9/11, Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach  of Temple Shalom in Maryland concluded his drash with these words, taken from the scene of another attack, thousands of miles away:

 The bomb blew the place to smithereens. Twisted metal and shattered lives was all it left behind. The screams and the sirens were quiet now. The hustle and bustle of two nights before was replaced... by a ghastly, ghostly silence. But some intrepid soul had been back to visit. That was clear. There was a sign hanging on what was once the entrance to the collapsed building. There were words on the sign. And the words were a promise. The sign at the entrance to the Dolphinarium Discotheque in Tel Aviv has three Hebrew words on it. They are the words you are receiving now. 

 They are a pledge. And a promise. And a way of life, all in one. They are words which hit at the core of our being. Or at least of who we often claim to be. At a time of terror, they are among the most inspiring words I have ever heard. What are the words? The sign says, I am told, just this:
"Lo Nafsik Lirkod. We will not stop dancing."

My friends. Bring these words with you when you leave this place tonight. Keep them with you for a while. Bring them in to your own soul. Chew on them, and ponder them, and figure out for yourself what it means to you.

 Lo Nafsik Lirkod. We will not stop dancing.

The Jewish students at San Francisco State University have never stopped dancing, even under the most difficult of circumstances.  Faced with the most vile threats to their physical safety,  they have continued celebrating their heritage. They have refused to give in to the bullying and intimidation they have experienced on campus.  These young men and women demonstrate an enviable resilience of will and strength of character, shining through proudly even under duress.

The General Union of Palestinian Students at San Francisco State University have never denounced or distanced themselves from  the genocidal ranting of their president, Mohammad Hammad.  They have attempted to keep a low profile on campus, and according to some sources, postponed a bid at a divestment referendum until Mohammad's threats were a distant memory.   Yet faced with Jewish students in joyous celebration , the lack of self discipline that characterized GUPS over the years was out in full force.

From the director Of SFSU Hillel, Alon Shalev

As you might have heard, last week we had a tough Yom Ha'atzmaut at SF State. On Tuesday,the General Union of Palestinians Students held a rally for Naqba (Disaster) Day urging students to come and disrupt our Israel Independence Day. Then on Thursday we held our celebrations.

The first two hours were great: we hosted a shuk (Israeli Market with food,spices, games, and give-aways) and a live performance from local band Sol Tevel. Hundreds stopped to sample the bourekas, rugelach and bamba, pick up information, and dance to Israeli music.

During the final hour, a large group of pro-Palestinians entered the campus quad and held a counter-rally. They were extremely vocal and their chants extreme. As hundreds gathered to watch the spectacle, it became very tense.

Our students were amazing. They continued their singing and dancing throughout. However, many told us afterward about how intimidating it had been. A few left in tears. Ironically, at the end, several discussions broke out between our students and pro-Palestinians. They were hard conversations, but conducted with civility.

On Friday, we invited students to come before our Yom Ha'atzmaut Shabbat to discuss what happened. Usually, a dozen students attend the pre-Shabbat conversations, but this time over 40 students attended. I heard many talk of intimidation and disappointment, but also determination to continue and share the beauty of Israel and all its achievements.

Our JAFI Israel Fellow, Sima Toledano, facilitated the conversation and did an amazing job. She also phoned every student she could remember was on the Quad to see if they were okay.

 After Shabbat service, we partied and ate schnitzel. The house was packed with students setting up tables outside, downstairs and even in the garage! This was the opportunity they were denied on Thursday - the chance to celebrate, to retell stories of their experiences in Israel. Many of this year's Birthright students, who leave in two weeks for Israel, attended both on the Quad and at the Hillel House, and were swept up in the moment.

Alon concludes:

    ....this week also highlighted why Jewish students need a safe space to be Jewish and explore their relationship with Israel.  

Until there are consequences for the General Union of Palestinian students- until they are called out and disciplined for their misbehavior- how can we expect San Francisco State to provide a safe campus climate for Jewish students?

The Jewish students at San Francisco State will not stop learning. They will not stop celebrating. They will not dancing. They will not give in to the bullying, the threats and intimidation of the General Union of Palestinians students and their outside enablers.

 The question remains however- why does SFSU continue to permit behaviors that jeopardize the physical and emotional safety of Jewish students on campus?

The Nightmare is Over at San Francisco State University

The nightmare for Israeli students, Jewish students and pro-Israel students at San Francisco State University is finally coming to an end.  Mohammad G. Hammad,  President of the General Union of Palestinians students  (GUPS) at SFSU is no longer a student

From the AMCHA Initiative:

Thank you to all of you.  Because of your calls to San Francisco State University and multiple inquiries from reporters yesterday, university administrators have stated that Mohammad Hammad is no longer enrolled at SFSU and is no longer living on campus.  

In addition, today we spoke with the SF Police Department Office of Special Investigation, and the sergeant informed us that Hammad is being investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI. 

We remain concerned that the terrorist ideology espoused by Hammad is embraced by other members of the student organization he ran, GUPS, and we will continue to closely monitor the investigation and the GUPS group. 

Thank you again for everything you did to help ensure the safety of Jewish students at SFSU. 

Tammi Rossman-Benjamin and Leila Beckwith

AMCHA Initiative Co-founders

Mohammad's reaction?

  
At least Hammad is self aware enough to realize that being investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI is a rather "serious turn".

Of course, the real thanks are due to the team at AMCHA, who have tirelessly pursued this until its ultimate conclusion.

SFSU GUPS President Mohammad Hammad allegedly posts more threats

From Columbine to Sandy Hook, the stories of shootings and violence in our schools and universities have been heartbreaking.   Invariably people look back at the seriously disturbed assailants and ask the same questions. How could someone with these violent proclivities slip under the radar? Why didn’t someone notice? Why didn’t someone do something, anything, proactively, to prevent the horror?

The President of the General Union of Palestinian students at San Francisco State University, Mohammad Hammad first came into scrutiny by publishing a selfie with a knife, describing his fantasy of stabbing an Israeli soldier.  Apparently, it was not an isolated incident taken out of context. More allegations have since been made public, reported by the AMCHA initiative- a  group devoted to keeping Jewish students- and all students- safe on campus.  The “political” nature of Hammad's reported threats and his glorification of violence make them no less horrific. Equally as troublesome is the complete silence of GUPS ,the General Union of Palestinian Students at SFSU and the local Arab and activist community in denouncing his words and his behavior.

Are our schools doing enough to keep our students safe?  Read Mohammad Hammad's alleged contributions to social media via the AMCHA Initiative, and  answer that yourself. If you were an Israeli student, a Jewish student, or a student who supported Israel would you feel comfortable with him on campus? Are crude threats and intimidation really protected as "free speech" or as legitimate academic discourse?

• In response to the question, "do you really condone violence?" Hammad answered, " I have a PFLP flag in my room and thing it's great when an IDF soldier trips on his own mine, if that answers your question."
• "So a few years ago, I managed to meat [sic] a branch commander of the PFLP...There is something really empowering and just good feeling about actually conversing, meeting, and just being around these people who fight for the freedom of our people, while being labeled 'terrorists' by the entire Western World."
• "So apparently there's a rumor going around in Palestine that I've joined the armed resistance...that's an awesome rumor..."
• In response the comment, "the pflp is a terrorist organization and legitimizes why everyone calls you a terrorist", Hammad wrote: I've stayed at the home of a branch commander and had dinner with his family. I've also participated in marches and gone to lunch with armed fighters. Guess that makes me a huge terrorist and you should be afraid, because I know where you live"
• Underneath the photograph of a group of armed, masked fighters bearing the caption "Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hammad wrote: "I love these guys"
• Hammad wrote on top of the image of the PFLP logo, "I just convinced my cousin to get the PFLP logo as a tattoo/I am so happy"
• The caption underneath a picture of a long sword read: "I want it. Imagine me cutting off the heads of those in the IDF with this"
• "There are children shouting outside and I want to set them on fire"
• "I think about killing a lot/and some of you are usually the targets of my daydreams :)"
• "The only peace I want regarding US soldiers is their head/That's a piece I'm willing to accept"
• "Let's play a game:/Objective: Kill US soldiers/Goal: World peace"
• "I have a mental list of people I would pee on and then set on fire"
• "I think about the time I tried to be - moderate - and advocate for non-violence and honestly I just want to go back in time and slit my own throat/and then the throats of all my enemies before they grow up into the shits they are today"
• "Oh/And tomorrow is [hopefully] the day that I find out if I will be the President of the General Union of Palestine at my school/...Hopefully I'll be able to radicalize half of our population and bring them back with me as fighters~"
• "For context - Hillel is the [extremely well funded] Pro-Israeli group on campus, and they have repeatedly painted our group GUPS [General Union of Palestinian Students] as a terror group and screwed us over to no end/...I hope they all trip down the stairs and break their necks :)"
• Someone asked Hammad, "how can I actively support palestine?", and he answered "Buy a keffieyh/Learn to tie it around your head [I'm willing to teach via Skype~~]/Get in touch with some PFLP militants or arms dealer in the West Bank/Learn IDF patrol routes/???/Boom/Thanks for your help comrade"
• Hammad posted a message on Tumblr as he was sitting in class listening this his International Political Economy teacher. Another blogger posted the question, "Are you or will you soon be eating his flesh"? Hammad responded: "It is a she and she is pregnant and I may be hungry but I don't think I can down them both...The is the same professor who tried to justify drones last semester, and the professor whose classes I have skipped the most/I severely dislike her"

You can see all of Hammad's violent postings HERE.

The AMCHA Initiative has been under fire by the Electronic Intifada, an extremist agitprop website because of its work and has been condemned for attempting to protect students from precisely these sorts of threats.  Show AMCHA some love- follow them on Facebook and on Twitter.
 
UPDATE

Via the Jewish press

Although Robert Nava, SFSU’s vice president for university development, initially told The Jewish Press by telephone that SFSU was engaged in the process of discipline with respect to Hammad, he later called back to provide a far more definitive statement. Nava said that the student we had been discussing – Mohammad Hammad - “is no longer a student on campus.” Hammad no longer is in student housing and he is no longer enrolled at SFSU.

Although Robert Nava, SFSU’s vice president for university development, initially told The Jewish Press by telephone that SFSU was engaged in the process of discipline with respect to Hammad, he later called back to provide a far more definitive statement. Nava said that the student we had been discussing – Mohammad Hammad - “is no longer a student on campus.” Hammad no longer is in student housing and he is no longer enrolled at SFSU.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/sfsu-student-continued-posting-violent-threats-against-idf-jews/2014/02/19/0/

Although Robert Nava, SFSU’s vice president for university development, initially told The Jewish Press by telephone that SFSU was engaged in the process of discipline with respect to Hammad, he later called back to provide a far more definitive statement. Nava said that the student we had been discussing – Mohammad Hammad - “is no longer a student on campus.” Hammad no longer is in student housing and he is no longer enrolled at SFSU.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/sfsu-student-continued-posting-violent-threats-against-idf-jews/2014/02/19/0/

The National Lawyers Guild, GUPS, and SFSU: Red Herring. Its whats for Lunch.

h/t Gary at Fousesquawk

Red Herring.  Its what's for Lunch.

Once again, the National Lawyers Guild proves that their commitment to advancing an ideology bypasses their commitment to constitutional law, justice or peace.

On Nov. 7, an event sponsored by the General Opinion of Palestinian Students at San Francisco State University featured signage stating "Our heroes have always killed colonizers", which was roundly condemned by university administrators, and advocacy groups.

In an open letter than never once mentions the controversial phrase, the National Lawyers Guild has come out with a statement declaring this as  "controversial political speech  rather than hate speech", and therefore safeguarded by protections under the first amendment. The statement, undersigned by NLGSF President R. Michael Flynn   and Rachel Lederman NLGSF President-Elect   neglects some appreciable aspects of first amendment law.  Speech that involves incitement, false statements of fact and threats is generally not protected by the first amendment.

But as importantly,  the NLG letter is a red herring.

A Red Herring is a fallacy in which an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issue. The basic idea is to "win" an argument by leading attention away from the argument and to another topic. This sort of "reasoning" has the following form:
Topic A is under discussion.
Topic B is introduced under the guise of being relevant to topic A (when topic B is actually not relevant to topic A).
Topic A is abandoned.
This sort of "reasoning" is fallacious because merely changing the topic of discussion hardly counts as an argument against a claim.

At no point did San Francisco State University President Les Wong speak of anything that could be construed as limiting the "academic freedom" or the " right"  of the General Union of Palestinian students to make complete fools of themselves not only on their home campus, but in the marketplace of ideas. Rather, he stated:

* As president, I was deeply disturbed by incendiary language that marred an annual commemoration of a cultural mural on campus.
* I am dismayed by the glorification of violence that this message conveys.
* The university is a place where dialogue, debate and the marketplace of ideas are cherished.

However, incitement to violence is not protected speech. The litmus test remains: Was the language of the sign mean to intimidate?

Given the reputation of GUPS on campus, their past history and their current rhetoric, many believe it was.

From the Simon Weisenthal Center

Simon Wiesenthal Center officials today warned San Francisco State University of a potential threat to its Jewish students after the Amcha Initiative uncovered a picture on Tumblr allegedly posted by the President of the University-sanctioned General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS) in which he is shown holding a knife with the caption saying, “I seriously can not get over how much I love this blade. It is the sharpest thing I own and cuts through everything like butter and just holding it makes me want to stab an Israeli soldier….” The Tumblr post has since been removed. See larger image of Tumblr page here).

Copies of the picture were forwarded to SFSU President Leslie Wong by Amcha and the Wiesenthal Center, and in a phone conversation earlier today with Wong’s office, Center officials warned that such avowedly violent statements, especially when linked with another recent GUPS campus event where participants used a stencil saying, “My heroes have always killed colonizers,” pose a potentially significant threat to the university’s Jewish students.

“It is outrageous and unacceptable that the leader of a University-funded group would invoke a message of death and violence,” said a Wiesenthal Center official.

Indeed it is.

From the Tumblr account of Mohammad Hammad, president of SFSU GUPS

To R. Michael Flynn  and Rachel Lederman of the National lawyers Guild, in San Francisco:   Is Mohammed Hammad, president of GUPS stated desire to stab an Israeli soldier protected free speech or is it a threat? Is this legitimate discourse, or is this incitement to violence?  Is this speech protected as academic freedom or does it represent a clear and present danger to others?

To R. Michael Flynn  and Rachel Lederman , a final question: If this form of racist rhetoric was directed towards any nationality but Israelis, would you still publicly advocate for it?

Incitement and Bigotry at SFSU. The story continues

Thanks are due to our representatives in Sacramento, including Assemblymember Marc Levine, Senator Marty Block, Assemblymember Das Williams, Senator Carol Liu, Assemblymember Jose Medina, Senator Lois Wolk, Assemblymember Richard Bloom, Assemblymember Steve Fox and Senator Mark Leno who have written  to San Francisco State University President Les Wong thanking him for denouncing the incitement and hate speech at an event sponsored by the General Union of Palestine Students earlier this month. 

In the letter addressed to Pres. Wong on Nov. 25, the legislators wrote:  "Celebrations of violence  towards an individual group or community lack legitimacy or standing in civilized society...These hateful demonstrations foster prejudice and bigotry. Such actions are the antithesis of an institution of higher learning, which is a wellspring of thoughtful and compassionate dialogue."

Blogger Elder of Ziyon has additional evidence that the intolerance and incitement of Nov. 7 was not an isolated incident. The General Union of Palestinian Students at SFSU have been selling t-shirts emblazoned with the message "Resistance is not terrorism", featuring PLFP hijacker Leila Khaled

General Union of Palestinian Students at SFSU celebrating terror

The Elder has designed an alternative image.

Leila Khaled. terrorist

  

No apology appears to be forthcoming from the General union of Palestinian students at SFSU. Also silent are the folks at Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) who never seem to notice, much less denounce the antisemitism in their very own backyard.

From Elder of Ziyon: SFSU's GUPS president explains that he wants to see all Israelis dead

This story isn't going away any time soon.

More details are emerging regarding the GUPS event at San Francisco State that featured placards inciting violence and glorifying murder. The Electronic Intifada has jumped into the act, attempting to pawn off responsibility for the offensive stencil ("My heroes have always killed Colonizers" ) on the San Francisco State University Student Kouncil of Intertribal Nations, (SKINS).

Swing and a miss.

They are late to the game. They’ve missed some rather striking information regarding the President of GUPS, revealed by blogger Elder of Ziyon.

It seems the President of the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS)  at San Francisco State University , Mohammad Hammad  isn't quite the  "peace activist" he pretends to be.  On the Facebook page of his organization, he wrote:

We are appalled at this blatant attack against the integrity and principled position that GUPS has maintained throughout its history. We are horrified by the baseless attack and allegations of anti-Semitism that have been leveled against GUPS and the Cesar Chavez Student Center, the organizers of the 6th annual anniversary of the Palestinian Cultural Mural honoring the late professor Edward Said."

Principled?
Maybe not.
Baseless?
I don't think so.

From our friends at Elder of Ziyon:

SFSU's GUPS president explains that he wants to see all Israelis dead

Apparently,  Hammad has three Tumblr accounts, which have all recently become password protected: palestinianliberator, canttouchthisnuhnuhnuh, and astrangerdanger. Between the time that the disgusting signs were publicized and the time that the GUPS realized that they have a public relations problem, Hammad described to his friends on Tumblr exactly who the target of the signs are - and his opinion does not refer only to to Jews who lived in Israel in the 1940s:

 You know what?

 Israelis ARE colonizers, there is literally no way around it

And you know what else?

My heroes HAVE always killed colonizers

I literally see nothing wrong with this

and my only regret is that not all colonizers were killed 

Here is an essay Hammad wrote last April (again, from his recently taken down Tumblr account) where he explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel, with violence if necessary: 

I will no longer support the two-state solution, and will vie for the liberation of Palestine through the reclamation of the lands that are rightfully ours through any means necessary. If the Israelis want to live in peace with us, so be it, but this peace will NOT be on their terms. It may be Palestinian freedom fighters who pull the triggers, but whatever lives are lost in the battle for liberation rest squarely on the shoulders of Israel.

Until return, and until liberation, one-state for Palestinians through any means necessary.

The president of GUPS has made it crystal clear, in his own words, that he interprets the "MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS KILLED COLONIZERS" sign as a call to kill Israeli Jews (he is not calling to kill Israeli Arabs!)Let's see GUPS try to spin this. 

I predict they will go on a wild attack, because misdirection is the last refuge for people caught with their pants down.

Elder is likely right on this one.  In spite of widespread condemnation  across the board, the offending students have dug in their heels and refused to apologize. Instead, they are channeling their venom towards Tammi Benjamin, the courageous human right activist that helped expose them. Attacking the messenger- its the cowards way out.

Incitement at San Francisco State: The Saga continues

What do you do when you are caught being a jerk?

After photos surfaced of San Francisco State University students carrying placards "My heroes have always killed colonizers" , a reasonable person might have expected an embarrassed "My bad", and an apology.

That didn't happen.

Instead, the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) at San Francisco State University  dug in their heels, refused to budge an inch and  instead have endlessly repeated a mantra extolling their eternal victim hood.

Instead of an apology we have a petition. The hubris and moral bankruptcy of GUPS is staggeringly arrogant and frighteningly perverse. Yes, they are calling incitement to violence and murder  a "principled position".   They defacto threaten the entire student body in the name of justice(aren't we all "colonizers" on native lands?), and yet they fear for their own safety. And they claim that "academic freedom" protects their right to glorify murder.

 Their petition follows:

Dear President Wong,

We are writing in response to the email sent to you and others by Tammi Benjamin, AMCHA initiative. We are appalled at this blatant attack against the integrity and principled position that GUPS AMED has maintained throughout their history. We are horrified by the baseless attack and allegations of anti-Semitism that have been leveled against GUPS, AMED, and the Cesar Chavez Student Center, the organizers of the 6th annual anniversary of the Palestinian Cultural Mural honoring the late Professor Edward Said.

We are proud to continue the rich legacy of justice-centered student activism at SFSU. GUPS has historically stood for justice in/for Palestine and has linked our struggle with that of all people’s struggles for self-determination, justice and peace.

We are concerned over our own safety and the safety of our friends, allies, and all those standing in solidarity with our movement, especially when their photos and names have been posted online as if to make them a moving target for violence.

This belligerent smear campaign meant to slander the Palestinian movement on campus has directly created a hostile environment that makes it impossible for us to express our views and exercise our academic freedom.

We call upon you, President Wong, to:

    Condemn this smear campaign
    Uphold our academic freedom as a core value of SFSU
    Ensure our safety and the safety of all

List of Endorsers and Signatories:

Student Kouncil of InterTribal Nations (SKINS)

Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan (MEChA de San Pancho)



As of today, only 2 SFSU organizations have endorsed this petition, and only a handful of people have signed on. 

San Francisco State University President Wong responds to hate speech on campus

 From the Office of the President, San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University is recognized worldwide for making social justice a strategic priority; it is an integral part of our DNA. As president, I was deeply disturbed by incendiary language that marred an annual commemoration of a cultural mural on campus.

On November 7, 2013 members of the campus community gathered to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the installation of a mural honoring Edward Said. Nearby, several student organizations were staffing tables to raise awareness of their groups' activities. One table was set up to allow passers-by to create their own placards with a pre-made stencil, which read, “My heroes have always killed colonizers.”

I am dismayed by the glorification of violence that this message conveys. There is no place at SF State for celebrating violence or promoting intolerance, bigotry, anti-Semitism or any other form of hate-mongering. We are a university community committed to furthering civil dialogue. Each of us must remain vigilant in working to achieve this goal.

The university is a place where dialogue, debate and the marketplace of ideas are cherished. We must also maintain a safe environment. Engaging in expressions that threaten and intimidate are counter to these goals. In addition to conveying my firm commitment to a safe and civil campus environment directly to any students involved, I will be meeting with members of the campus community to express my concerns, and to learn more about their perceptions of our current campus climate. University leadership will continue to gather information about this occurrence and address it appropriately. We prize our role as a forum for open discourse and we will continue to work toward a campus culture that cherishes civility.

Les Wong
President


This appears to be California-speak for "No further action will be taken"

UPDATE:

The Amcha initiative has  responded to Pres. Wong's letter, urging him to take concrete steps to discipline the appropriate parties.  Their email follows:

In direct response to a letter from AMCHA co-founders as well as letters from many AMCHA supporters, yesterday SFSU President posted a statement on his official University website, in which he condemned an on-campus event glorifying murder and acknowledged that there is “no place at SF State for celebrating violence or promoting intolerance, bigotry, anti-Semitism or any other form of hate-mongering.” President Wong also stated that the University will continue its investigation of this reprehensible event.  (You can see President Wong's Statement HERE).

In response to his statement, AMCHA co-founders have sent the following letter to President Wong commending him for taking these important first steps and urging him to appropriately discipline the responsible parties:

Dear President Wong,
We commend you for your statement condemning an on-campus event which glorified murder, and for your acknowledgement that there is “no place at SF State for celebrating violence or promoting intolerance, bigotry, anti-Semitism or any other form of hate-mongering.” We also commend you for initiating an investigation of what we believe is clearly an antisemitic event.

We hope that at the end of your investigation, all those responsible for this incident — whether students, faculty, or staff — will be disciplined for their behavior, which violates the tenets of civil discourse and may be unlawful.

We and other concerned members and supporters of the Jewish community are eager to know what steps you will take to ensure that such behavior is appropriately addressed and does not re-occur at San Francisco State University.

Sincerely,

Tammi Rossman-Benjamin
Co-founder, AMCHA Initiative

Leila Beckwith
Co-founder, AMCHA Initiative