Pascal Binczak On BDS Rhetoric Of Hate Parading As Freedom Of Speech

They say no they're not really talking about rights. They're talking about they want to destroy Israel.
Norman Finkelstein on BDS movement (video)

The BDS movement suffered another setback, this time in France, when Pascal Binczak, president of L'université Paris-VIII cancelled a scheduled BDS symposium operating under the title "New sociological, historical and legal approaches to call for an international boycott of Israel, an apartheid state" It had originally been approved for February 27 and 28--but after having allowed it, Binczak reversed his decision and chose the cancel.

In explaining his decision, here is some of what Pascal Binczak wrote, translated from the French with Google Translate, where he decries the rhetorical distortions of the BDS movement parading as a defense of free speech:

The reactions to my decision to withdraw the authorization previously granted to the holding, at the University of Paris VIII, a demonstration presented as an academic conference entitled "New approaches sociological, historical and legal to use in international boycott Israel, an apartheid state?" lead me to clarify certain points and questions about the meaning and causes of the ongoing controversy. Following a statement released by the Mediapart site entitled: "The CRIF (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France) ordered the censorship, Paris VIII obey" was followed by a petition supporting the organizers, on behalf of freedom of expression which would have been sacrificed.

Rhetoric developed by polemicists can not hide the reality of facts that have been ignored but whose establishment shows that my decision does not call into question the freedom of expression, on the contrary. Overlooked is the conditional nature of the authorization, the conditions issued relating in particular to the principles enunciated by the law noting that "the public service of higher education is secular and independent of any political, economic, religious or ideological and it tends to the objectivity of knowledge and complies with the diversity of views" [emphasis in original].

Ignored is the misuse of the term "academic conference" under whose banner this event was presented. It covered more militant action where diversity of opinion, the conduct of proceedings, the highest scholarly standards that characterize the academic work is less important than political purpose.

...Considering all these facts ignored, free speech is even less threatened than another place has been proposed as Tuesday, February 21 organizers. I also obtained the agreement of Paris-VIII teachers to participate in the demonstration and a minimum guarantee pluralism of opinions. To date, my proposals have gone unanswered. In an objective account of these facts, the organizers chose the shock announcement: "The CRIF ordered censorship, Paris VIII ob Eit". Oiled propaganda, recalling the conspiracy theory, developed in particular this choice quote: "European complicity in the continued occupation and oppression is obtained by the Israeli threat, intimidation, brutality." In their enthusiasm, they have aligned their release under the support of several organizations which have then specified themselves not to be not supportive of their approach, including the League of Human Rights.

Finkelstein, who supports the BDS movement, condemns their misrepresentation of their goals, and their claims about free speech is just one more part of their twisted rhetoric for what is nothing more than encouraging hate speech free of rational discussion.

Hat tip: EG

Technorati Tag: Israel and BDS.