More repulsive antisemitism at San Francisco State University

SFSU is again living up to its reputation as one of the most difficult campuses in America for Jewish students.

Today,  vile signs have appeared throughout San Francisco State University, blaming anti-semitism on  "the occupation".

Do they really believe that there were no recorded incidents of anti-Semitism before 1967, or is this just another in a series of hate -filled message meant to intimidate and silence Jewish students?

Pitiful Protest at San Francisco State University following court decision

On Thursday, in what might be the most pitiful protest to date, San Francisco State University students attempted to "block" the MUNI tracks at 19th and Holloway, in protest of the recent court decision that determined that Jewish students do in fact, have rights.

Only 3 actual students showed up, so they used string, yes string, to "block the tracks"

Their chants of  "From the River to the sea" and their string were roundly ignored by passersby.

Major Victory for Zionism at California State University (CSU)

"California State University’s public recognition that Zionism is an integral part of Jewish identity represents a major victory for Jewish students at SFSU and across the country. "

From the Jewish Journal:

The case, Volk v. Board of Trustees, involved two San Francisco State University (SFSU) Jewish students, identified as Liam Kern and Charles Volk, alleging that SFSU and the CSU Board of Trustees engaged in anti-Semitism against them when SFSU prevented the campus Hillel from participating in the campus’ “Know Your Rights” fair in February 2017. Kern and Volk also alleged that the university failed to effectively respond to anti-Semitic incidents on campus. These would constitute as violations of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, Kern and Volk argued. 

From a Press Release  by the Lawfare Project and  the attorneys at Winston & Strawn LLP

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The Lawfare Project and Winston & Strawn LLP today reached a landmark settlement in their lawsuits against the California State University (CSU) public university system.

The settlement in Volk v. Board of Trustees comes ahead of this month's scheduled trial for a lawsuit brought by two Jewish students who allege that San Francisco State University (SFSU) and the Board of Trustees of CSU discriminated against them.

As part of the settlement, SFSU agreed to:

Public statement: Issue a statement affirming that
"it understands that, for many Jews, Zionism is an important part of their identity";

Coordinator of Jewish Student Life: "Hire a Coordinator of Jewish Student Life within the Division of Equity & Community Inclusion" and dedicate suitable office space for this position;

External review of policies: "Retain an independent, external consultant to assess SFSU’s procedures for enforcement of applicable CSU system-wide anti-discrimination policies and student code of conduct";

Independent investigation of additional complaints: "SFSU will, for a period of 24 months, assign all complaints of religious discrimination under either E.O. 1096 or E.O. 1097 to an independent, outside investigator for investigation";

Funding viewpoint diversity: "SFSU will allocate an additional $200,000 to support educational outreach efforts to promote viewpoint diversity (including but not limited to pro-Israel or Zionist viewpoints) and inclusion and equity on the basis of religious identity (including but not limited to Jewish religious identity)"; and

Campus mural: Engage in the SFSU process to allocate "space on the SFSU campus for a mural to be installed under the oversight of the Division of Equity & Community Inclusion, paid for by the University, that will be designed by student groups of differing viewpoints on the issues that are the subject of this litigation to be agreed by the parties (including but not limited to Jewish, pro-Israel, and/or Zionist student groups, should such student groups elect to participate in the process)."

"California State University’s public recognition that Zionism is an integral part of Jewish identity represents a major victory for Jewish students at SFSU and across the country. Today, we have ensured that SFSU will put in place important protections for Jewish and Zionist students to prevent continued discrimination. We are confident that this will change the campus climate for the better," said Brooke Goldstein, Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. "The Lawfare Project was proud to play a role in securing justice for Jewish and Zionist students at SFSU. We commend the student plaintiffs who showed the courage to stand up and advocate for their civil rights."

"We are incredibly happy with this result," said Ross M. Kramer of Winston & Strawn LLP. "Our clients' goal was to bring about meaningful, lasting change at San Francisco State University and throughout the California State University system, and to make sure that the rights of all Jewish students are safeguarded now and into the future. That's what this settlement achieves."

Stop Hate at San Francisco State

San Francisco State has long been described as one of the most anti-Semitic universities in America.  The situation came to a rolling boil last year, leaving frustrated students to take out a lawsuit in Federal court, alleging that the University administration ignored abuses directed towards Jewish students on campus.

Take a minute and sign a petition organized by StandWithUs urging the SFSU leadership to protect Jewish,  Israeli and pro-Israel students on campus

The text of the petition follows:

To SFSU and CSU leadership,

For too long, Jewish students have faced unacceptable intolerance and hate at San Francisco State University (SFSU).

From protesters shouting down the Mayor of Jerusalem in violation of the First Amendment, to Hillel being actively excluded from a "Know Your Rights" fair, to an official SFSU department Facebook page opposing the inclusion of Zionists on campus, the climate for Jewish students at SFSU is deeply problematic. Some are even afraid to openly wear Jewish symbols on campus.

The Jewish community had petitioned the SFSU Administration for years to demand action, and while some progress has been made, administrators continue to drag their feet on a number of key issues. You have yet to make any official statement about the Know Your Rights Fair and have failed to remove offensive content posted on the official Facebook page of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas (AMED) Studies Department.

The Jewish community deserves a safe learning environment, just like all other communities at SFSU. This includes the many Jewish students who believe in Israel's right to exist and see Israel as an important part of their identity.

As such, we call on you the leadership of SFSU and CSU to:

1. Make a clear statement condemning the exclusion of Hillel from the Know Your Rights Fair in February, 2017, as contrary to the values of the University.

2. Establish clear regulations stating that official SFSU department Facebook pages must adhere to university policy, and ensure that the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas (AMED) Studies Department removes its offensive Facebook post.

3. Make a clear statement that any effort to exclude and/or marginalize Jewish students and organizations based on their support for Israel's existence will not be tolerated at SFSU.

Please sign the petition here

Stop Intolerance and Hate at San Francisco StateWrite to San Francisco State and Demand Action Against Intolerance

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?

Israel haters groups response to anti-Semitism at SFSU "But we're the victims"

The recent lawsuit alleging systemic anti-antisemitism at San Francisco State University has gotten a great deal of press lately

Lawsuit claims San Francisco State, university leaders, have history of cultivating campus environment hostile to Jews

San Francisco State University fosters anti-Semitism, lawsuit alleges

Lawsuit says Jewish students ‘intimidated’ at SF State

Current and former students sue SFSU over alleged anti-Semitism

Not being able to control the narrative is a first for the haters.  How are they handling the stress?

What is the reaction of, oh, lets say Jewish Voice for Peace to this? After all, their mission statement claims they oppose "anti-Jewish, bigotry and oppression".   

Ben Lorber, a JVP staffer has "talking points" to share and can help you write a letter, denying anti-Jewish bigotry and oppression even exists

Other anti-Israel groups are also mobilizing fast as they can, utilizing their perpetual theme of  " But, but, but we're the victims" ( so send us money).

A "Launch good" page has been set up to raise money for  SFSU  Professor Rabab Abdulhadi and her students. 

The page reads

They disagreed with her work on Palestine, so they plastered posters across campus calling her a terrorist and a Jew-hater.

Professor Rabab Abdulhadi of the Arab Muslim and Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies program has filed several grievances against San Francisco State University for the hostile and unsafe work and study environment for Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs on campus. Your generous donation will contribute to the legal defense fund against Islamophobia, anti-Arab discrimination and hostility to Palestinians at SFSU campus and to supporting the AMED Studies program against destruction.

"They" apparently means pro-Israel groups such as David Horowitz, Canary Mission, AMCHA, Campus Watch, Stand With US, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Middle East Forum and the Zionist Organization of America -any group that dares defends the rights of Jewish students on campus.

In the eternal sunshine of their spotless victimhood, apparently  the appearance of several dozen tasteless posters on campus constitutes "intimidation" for the General Union of Palestinian students at SFSU. However, there is no evidence that any group other than the Horowitz center was involved, and Jewish SFSU faculty and student groups on campus immediately denounced the posters.  

The General Union of Palestinian Students has rather tender sensibilities for a group that routinely shouts down any dissenting voice, calls for genocide, and maintains a truth-optional view of history.

Spreading hatred at SFSU

Spreading hatred at SFSU

Koret Foundation withholds grant money to San Francisco State University

Anti-Semitism doesn't pay. SFSU has learned the hard way.

According to an article in the J Weekly, the Jewish News of  Northern California, written by Max.Cherney:

The San Francisco-based Koret Foundation last year held back a $1.7 million grant to San Francisco State University, according to a federal lawsuit filed earlier this week.

Among other accusations in the lawsuit, the plaintiff’s lawyers laid out a squabble over the sizable grant between SFSU and the San Francisco-based Koret Foundation, a well-fundedphilanthropic organization that works on a range of causes.

Koret’s reason for withholding the grant was due to concerns about “anti-Jewish animus” at SFSU, the lawsuit claims, and because of a 2016 incident where protesters prevented Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat from giving a scheduled talk at the school.

Read it all here

Groundbreaking Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University has been hit with a lawsuit, alleging systemic patterns of discrimination and harassment directed towards Jewish students.

The lawsuit  filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California  names the Board of Trustees of the California State University System, SFSU President Leslie Wong and others as defendants. The plaintiffs, including students, alumni and community members are represented by attorneys from The Lawfare Project and the global law firm Winston & Strawn LLP.

From a press release, filed by Amanda Berman, Lawfare Project Director of Legal Affairs
and Brooke Goldstein, Lawfare Project Director

The lawsuit was triggered following the alleged complicity of senior university administrators and police officers in the disruption of an April, 2016, speech by the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat. At that event organized by SF Hillel, Jewish students and audience members were subjected to genocidal and offensive chants and expletives by a raging mob that used bullhorns to intimidate and drown out the Mayor’s speech and physically threaten and intimidate members of the mostly-Jewish audience. At the same time, campus police – including the chief – stood by, on order from senior university administrators who instructed the police to “stand down” despite direct and implicit threats and violations of university codes governing campus conduct.

The lawsuit states that “SFSU has not merely fostered and embraced anti-Jewish hostility -it has systematically supported … student groups as they have doggedly organized their efforts to target, threaten, and intimidate Jewish students on campus and deprive them of their civil rights and their ability to feel safe and secure as they pursue their education at SFSU.” SFSU continues to affirm its preference for those targeting the Jewish community, according to the lawsuit, by claiming to handle such incidents successfully by removing the Jewish students from their lawful assembly without allowing them the opportunity to exercise their free speech rights.”

Making matters worse, no actions were ever taken by SFSU against the disruptive students, no disciplinary charges were ever filed, and no sanctions were ever imposed against the groups or students responsible for committing these acknowledged violations.

“Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the underpinning of the modern American ethos of equal protection and anti-discrimination. This case isn’t about Jews, it’s about equal protection under the law,” says Brooke Goldstein, Lawfare Project Director. “If the courts fail to apply Title VI in this context, we are creating a massive loophole that will ultimately be exploited to target other marginalized minority communities. If we refuse to enforce anti-discrimination law for Jews, if we say Jews don’t deserve equal protection, it will erode constitutional protections for everyone. Jews must be protected the same as any other minority group, or the bedrock of civil rights law will crumble.”

In addition to the disruption of the speech by Nir Barkat, the lawsuit describes a long list of discrimination, intimidation and mistreatment of Jewish students at SFSU.  Following are just a few examples:

In 1994, a ten-foot mural was erected on SFSU’s student union building that portrayed yellow Stars of David intertwined with dollar signs, skulls and crossbones, and the words “African Blood.”

In 1997, a banner depicting an Israeli flag with a swastika next to an American flag with a dollar sign was hung over the same wall where the 1994 mural had been painted.

In April of 2002, posters appeared around campus advertising an event called “Genocide in the 21st Century,” featuring a dead baby on the label of a soup can, surrounded on either side by Israeli flags.

In May of 2002, following a Peace rally, a small group of Jewish students were targeted by a large group of students who shouted bigoted and offensive remarks, including “Hitler didn’t finish the job,” “Get out or we’ll kill you,” and “Go back to Russia.”

In 2009, SFSU hosted on-campus events that advocated for the elimination of the Jewish state of Israel.

In 2016, President Wong complained that in all his years, he had never seen a university donor withhold a pledge because of a “political issue.” A Jewish Studies faculty member told him, “the physical safety of Jewish students is never a political issue.” President Wong replied, “on this, we will have to agree to disagree.”

In 2017, when specifically asked whether Zionists are welcome at SFSU, President Wong refused to provide the only proper answer: “Yes.” Instead, President Wong demurred, stating “That’s one of those categorical statements I can’t get close to. . . . Am I comfortable opening up the gates to everyone?  Gosh, of course not.”

"Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the underpinning of the modern American ethos of equal protection and anti-discrimination. This case isn’t about Jews, it’s about equal protection under the law,” says Brooke Goldstein, Lawfare Project Director. “If the courts fail to apply Title VI in this context, we are creating a massive loophole that will ultimately be exploited to target other marginalized minority communities. If we refuse to enforce anti-discrimination law for Jews, if we say Jews don’t deserve equal protection, it will erode constitutional protections for everyone. Jews must be protected the same as any other minority group, or the bedrock of civil rights law will crumble."

Read the full complaint here

Read students and community members first hand accounts of the campus climate at SFSU  here

Read the full press release from the Lawfare Project here

For more documentation of the systemic harassment of Jewish students at SFSU, see the blog San Francisco State Unbecoming

San Francisco State University's toxic climate for Jewish Students

From the Jewish Community Relations Council Director Abby Forth:

“Campuses across the nation experience uncivil discourse and anti-Semitism. But what sets S.F. State apart is its administration’s unwillingness to state for its entire campus community that it will not tolerate these acts.

“When Jewish students and guests are intimidated and Hillel is discriminated against, this administration fails to speak out. More than that, it has celebrated the perpetrators while privately assuring our Jewish community that it will look into these incidents,”

“In so doing, this administration is, at best, complicit in the marginalization of Jewish students, and, at worst, responsible for it.”

If case you missed it, check out the excellent series of articles on the campus climate for Jewish students at San Francisco State University, published in this weeks J the Jewish News of Northern California 

Dan Pine documents the history of anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist activism at San Francisco State University, and the current administration's tepid response

S.F. State’s Jewish problem: faculty and local leaders decry worsening climate''

Written by Max A.Cherney:

JCRC campaign aimed at ‘toxic culture’ for Jews at SFSU

Written by Mark G. Yudof  and Kenneth Waltzer of the Academic Engagement Network.

S.F. State ‘excommunicates’ Jewish students and pro-Israel speakers

Written by Marc Dollinger.the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility at San Francisco State University and  Fred Astren,chair of the Jewish studies department, stating:

"After six face-to-face meetings over the course of a year with San Francisco State University President Leslie Wong, we are obliged to report that there is no resolution in sight for problems plaguing Jewish student life on campus."
Jewish studies professors: S.F. State marginalizes Jews

Outraged? You should be.  This has been going on for a long time.

Community members are mobilizing for action.  A good first step- please sign this petition to California State University Chancellor Dr. Timothy P. White from StandWithUs  calling on him to take immediate action to "ensure the security and dignity of Jewish students"

The JCRC is encouraging people to email SFSU President Les Wong to remind him that it is the responsibility of the administration to set and enforce boundaries that protect free speech and ensure the safety of every student.  Demand he take action to protect Jewish students on campus.

Stay tuned. This is not over.

JCRC Deeply Concerned about Climate at SF State University for Jewish and Pro-Israel Students

Statement from the Jewish Community Relations Council on this weeks events at San Francisco State University

JCRC Deeply Concerned about Climate at SF State University for Jewish and Pro-Israel Students

JCRC is deeply disappointed by the events which led to the cancellation yesterday of Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat’s speaking engagement at San Francisco State University (SFSU). The opportunity to welcome Mayor Barkat back to campus was especially important given that his speech last year was disrupted by protesters.

Mayor Barkat requested that his April 6 scheduled appearance be a fully accessible public forum for "the kind of healing needed after the assault on free speech last year." We believe that this request was very important given the intention of disrupters to prevent the normalization of Jewish and pro-Israel voices on campus. The university should have been able to provide such a forum and also done more to assure the event was widely promoted. Instead, the university's insistence that this be a ticketed, limited event and lack of publicity communicated that it will go to lengths to prevent students from engaging in important conversations rather than advancing its purpose of fostering civil discourse and promoting the free exchange of ideas.

JCRC is deeply troubled by a pattern of marginalization at SFSU of Jewish students, and anyone else who supports Israel's right to exist. The university claims a commitment to creating opportunities for “each student to discover his or her unique path in life,” but the voices of Jewish students, particularly those in support of Israel, are limited. For the past year, we have been in constant discussions with university administration about how to correct this and improve campus climate, and this week’s cancellation represents a major failure in advancing the principles for which we believe this university stands.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat cancels visit to SFSU

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has canceled a scheduled visit to San Francisco State University, accusing the university of failing to adequately prepare for his visit.

“By failing to provide the necessary public forum and properly publicize my lecture, the University has contributed to the continuing marginalization and demonization of the Jewish state,” Barkat declared, adding “If I were a representative of any other country, no institution of higher learning would have allowed my speech to be drowned out by protesters inciting violence and then bring me back to campus in a limited, secluded way,”

The visit was scheduled for Thursday, a full year after his talk at SFSU was interrupted by anti-Israel activists.  A subsequent investigation found that SFSU failed to properly handle the protest, yet the participants faced no actual consequences. San Francisco State University is regularly listed as one of the most difficult campuses for Jewish students.

Mayor Nir Barkat planned to visit the campus exactly a year to the day after students with the General Union of Palestine Students group interrupted his on-campus speech with chants of "Intifada, Intifada", terrorizing the Jewish students and community members attending the event.

“Dozens of anti-Israel protesters disrupted my public lecture through intimidation and provocation, vulgarities and incitement that bordered on the anti-Semitic,” Barkat said

Barakat’s speech was scheduled to take place Thursday  at the Seven Hills Conference Center. The venue quickly sold  out.

Bay area Anti- Israel activists had already begun to mobilize for the event, distributing a rambling, incoherent diatribe emphasizing  their personal and collective victimhood, and demanding Wong cancel the appearance.

Instead, Barakat will be speaking a private venue.

Mayor Barkat's full statement follows:

"At San Francisco State last April, dozens of anti-Israel protesters disrupted my public lecture through intimidation and provocation, vulgarities and incitement that bordered on the anti-Semitic.

Following the incident, President Wong invited me back to the University to provide students the opportunity to learn that they were denied last spring. I felt a moral obligation to return to San Francisco State and share Jerusalem’s progress, challenges, and opportunities.

Unfortunately, the University did not offer the lecture that would provide the kind of healing needed after the assault on free speech last year. Instead, the University offered a ticketed, limited event, and no legitimate effort was made on the part of the University to publicize the lecture. I have decided not to participate.

By failing to provide the necessary public forum and properly publicize my lecture, the University has contributed to the continuing marginalization and demonization of the Jewish state. If I were a representative of any other country, no institution of higher learning would have allowed my speech to be drowned out by protestors inciting violence and then bring me back to campus in a limited, secluded way.

Mostly importantly, the University's proposed framework is nothing short of a double standard. The University has demonstrated that they will protect the rights of anti-Israel students to drown out diverse voices through violent incitement, while they will not protect the rights of the students to engage in open, robust dialogue."

--
Rachel Greenspan
Deputy Advisor, Foreign Affairs and International Media
Office of Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat"

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

`

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.

Meanwhile, back at San Francisco State University...

One can only imagine SFSU president Les Wong sitting in his office proudly reflecting on the worldwide attention his university is finally attracting.

In the meanwhile, the students are beginning to mobilize and fight back.

This remix of the notorious protest is making the rounds



A petition has been launched, demanding that Les Wong resign as president of San Francisco State University.

Pres. Wong has begun an "investigation", code for "stall until the next thing comes along to divert attention away from this".

Its not over by a long shot.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in San Francisco

More news from San Francisco State University, from someone who witnessed the fiasco.

Written by Aaron Parker,  published in the Times of Israel

Mayor Barkat’s visit was planned.  University administrators expected both him and the disruptors, who reliably attend all Israeli speaking events here.  The university police were sent in.  But, in a decision that should deeply disturb all who value a civil society, and one that I as a Jew find profoundly demoralizing, the police were instructed not to remove the disruptors and instead to stand by and watch the event be completely shut down.

Please let that sink in. Public university administrators and police stood and watched as the Mayor of Jerusalem, the Jewish student organization that sponsored him, and all of us in attendance, were permanently bullied off the stage.  Officers with guns, and the power that comes from the barrels of those guns, were instructed to stand, watch, and do nothing, as freedom of speech was replaced with a policy of whoever shouts the loudest wins, at least when it comes to shouting down a visiting Israeli dignitary. Those whom we thought were there to protect us and restore order, stood, watched, and did nothing.

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.”

Aaron concludes:

As a Jewish San Franciscan, I was profoundly shaken by the experience.  I was prepared for the anti-Israel movement to be there.  They’ve grown chillingly disciplined in recent years.  I expected them to be given a space outside the event to yell hateful rhetoric and engage in theatrics.  I was prepared for the likelihood of having to pass them on the way in, threatening me, calling me anti-Semitic epithets, because it’s how they roll.  What I didn’t expect was for them to be given the power by the university to control who speaks and who does not.  I left shaken to my core.

Read it all here: 
 Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in San Francisco

SFSU President Les Wong's bland response to campus bullying

The Bay Area Jewish community is still shocked by the nastiness and bullying of anti-Israel activists who disrupted a Hillel event at San Francisco State University.

The story has garnered world wide notoriety.

San Francisco State: Yet another shout down of Israeli speaker 

Pro-Palestinian Activists In San Francisco Interrupt Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat Speech, Chanting, ‘Intifada!’

Anti-Israel protesters crash Jerusalem mayor Barkat's speech in San Francisco

Concerned about the unsafe atmosphere at SFSU for students, people have been writing to Leslie Wong, president@sfsu.edu President, San Timothy White, tmolle@calstate.edu (Public Relations), Chancellor California State University and to Reginald Parson, Interim Chief, upd@sfsu.edu SFSUPD

The bland response of  Les Wong follows:  h/t Fousesquawk  

Thursday, April 07, 2016

Dear SF State community,

I am concerned for the state of civil discourse on our campus. There have been a number of events this academic year which have caused me to think extensively about our values and our mission.

Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem was invited to speak yesterday on campus by SF Hillel, a student organization. The Mayor’s talk, held at Seven Hills, was disrupted by a small but loud group of protesters. Members of our community who attended the event were deprived of an opportunity to hear from the Mayor.

As an inclusive academic institution, we strive to make San Francisco State University a welcoming environment for all. Students are encouraged to engage in thoughtful and respectful dialogue about difficult or controversial issues and, at the same time, to respect the rights of others to do the same. While there is a right to dissent, we must also uphold the right to speak and to learn.

The Dean of Students and University Police will perform a full investigation of this incident to determine if any violations of campus policy occurred. In addition, I am committed to examining the university’s planning and response mechanisms to better ensure that student events of this nature can occur unimpeded in the future.

We must come together as a campus to foster a supportive and collegial environment in which disagreements can occur thoughtfully and respectfully. We must strive to live our values — and to be a safe place where all the members of our community are free to listen and to learn.

I would appreciate your support in promoting this core value so the entire SF State community can feel welcome and safe to engage in the free exchange of ideas and views that is essential to our campus.

Les Wong
President
San Francisco State University

The Palestine Exception: Free Speech for me, but not for thee

From Ollie Benn, Executive Director of San Francisco State University Hillel:

An unfortunate and embarrassing incident happened today on SF State's campus.

A high profile political figure was shouted down and prevented from speaking. Many students came to hear Jerusalem Mayor Nir Birkat, as they had previously for other Hillel speakers this year representing a wide array of views. But a small group of hecklers came today solely to prevent the campus community from hearing a viewpoint they did not like. Unfortunately they succeeded.

There is a concerning trend that college campuses are not spaces where diverse viewpoints are tolerated. Recently, we have seen acts of outright hostility and physical aggression when one person did not agree with the views of another on campus.

We've tried incredibly hard at SF Hillel to be a responsible partner on campus for civil discourse, and to contribute to a more positive environment for dialogue, tolerance and education. Today's disappointing events demonstrate that one party alone cannot effect change; it requires the commitment of the entire University community to create a diverse place of learning that is tolerant, respectful and dedicated to its academic mission.

We are working with our partners on and off campus, and will provide further updates in the coming days and weeks. We will ensure that campus continues to be a space that promotes the robust exchange of ideas.

We are once again proud of our Hillel students who were not intimidated by today's interruptions. Even though the Mayor could not continue his public remarks, many Hillel students stayed to learn from Mayor Barkat in a smaller group, and to ask him their earnest and challenging questions, over the shouts of those who tried to silence them.

From Hillel International:

Hillel International joins San Francisco Hillel (SF Hillel) in expressing our outrage that Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat was shouted down and prevented from speaking at San Francisco State University this evening. It is incumbent on all university leaders to ensure that diverse voices are treated with respect on campus and that attempts to forcibly prevent free speech not be tolerated.

“Colleges and universities cannot allow a vocal minority to inhibit the free speech of others and prevent the free exchange of ideas to which our higher education system is based,” said Eric D. Fingerhut, president and CEO of Hillel International. “We will work with the administration at San Francisco State University, as well as college administrators across the country, to ensure that distinguished speakers such as Mayor Barkat are welcomed on campus and given the opportunity to freely express their views.”

In response to the incident, Nir Barkat stated.

"Anyone who thinks that calls for violence and incitement will be able to silence us or divert us from our position is mistaken," Barkat said in response to the incident. "We will continue to build, develop and strengthen the State of Israel and within it a united Jerusalem and we will continue to voice our opinions and our legitimacy when we are invited to do so, even in places where they try to stop us."

San Francisco State University proud of new relationship with An-Najah University, the "greenhouse for martyrs."

The President of San Francisco State University took a principled stand this week supporting a University boycott of Indiana, after the state passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA , a  law widely interpreted to be anti-gay.

From Les Wong,  in an email sent to the students of SFSU  

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students:

I am dismayed, if not extremely disappointed, in the recent legislation signed into law in Indiana. It is unconscionable for this great University to spend its resources in a state that attempts to legislate discrimination of any kind.

By this note, I am informing the campus community that no San Francisco State University funds from any source--general funds or auxiliary--will be used to support employee or student travel to Indiana. This action is effective today, Monday, March 30, 2015 until further notice. Any travel authorized prior to today may proceed as planned with approval of the appropriate vice president.

We are researching similar legislation reputed to be existent in other states to determine further action.
As a member of the NCAA Division 2 President’s Council, I will not attend a required meeting of the Council to be held in April in Indianapolis. A copy of this note is being sent to NCAA President Mark Emmert and to CSU Chancellor Timothy White.

Our commitment to social justice on this campus remains a point of pride for me. The vice presidents, deans and Academic Senate's Executive Committee all endorse this action.

Les Wong, President

President Wong's stand in support of social justice flies in the face of recent actions on the San Francisco State University campus, including the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SF State and An-Najah National University in Nablus, marking SF State’s first MOU with an academic institution anywhere in the Arab and Muslim world.

An-Najah National University is widely considered a breeding ground for terror and intolerance in the disputed Palestinian territories.

From the venerable Anti-Defamation League's overview on the Islamic Palestine Block Student Cell at An- Najah University

An-Najah University, in the West Bank city of Nablus, has been a flashpoint in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians since at least 1980, when violent anti-Israel protests led the Israeli military to close the school intermittently. Today the student council of An-Najah is known for its advocacy of anti-Israel violence and its recruitment of Palestinian college students into terrorist groups. The council, almost completely controlled by factions loyal to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah, glorifies suicide bombings and propagandizes for jihad against Israel. Hamas has described An-Najah as a "greenhouse for martyrs." 

From Matthew Levitt, director of the Washington Institute's Stein Program on Terrorism, Intelligence, and Policy, 

Al-Najah is the largest university in the territories and "the terrorist recruitment, indoctrination and radicalization of students for which al-Najah is known typically take place via various student groups," among them the Hamas-affiliated Islamic Bloc. "Of the thirteen members of Al-Najah's 2004 student council, eight," he says - "including the chairperson - belong to Hamas's Islamic Bloc."

This is yet another inglorious moment  for San Francisco State- a university  with a considerable history of turning a blind eye to terrorism and anti-semitism within its own halls