This makes for an interesting contrast.
On the one hand, Richard Millet writes about his experience at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London (SOAS): Camera grabbed, rucksack snatched and racially abused at SOAS..
Blogger Richard Millett was assaulted and subjected to racial abuse yesterday at an anti-Israel meeting of SOAS because he refused to stop filming a public meeting, where others were filming.
All this happened in a room full of people who taunted Richard. The speakers were Karma Nabulsi and Abdel-Bari Atwan, both well known on the anti-Israel circuit. Nabulsi teaches at Oxford University and is a former PLO representative. Atwan is a Palestinian journalist. Abdel-Bari Atwan is well known for saying: "If the Iranian missiles strike Israel – by Allah, I will go to Trafalgar Square, and dance with delight if the Iranian missiles strike Israel." (Below at 1:12)
This is a testimony to the caliber of speaker and attendees of the meeting, where such statements are routinely made and are accepted as normal in a way that would be condemned if made by someone in the West.
It also gives you an idea of what Millet was up against.
Here is his account of what happened, after being told “You’re a typical Israeli, you know that”
...Next I am told to stop filming and recording by the chairperson before a rather large chap who had subsequently seated himself in front of me got up, turned around and tried to grab my camera, leaving me with a throbbing finger, before making off with my rucksack:When I wrote earlier about a contrast, I had in mind a situation where the sides were reversed--when at a lecture by David Horowitz, a Muslim woman stood, publicly invited the crowd to a lecture in praise of Hitler and told the Jews present that she backed groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.
In the act of snatching the rucksack my phone, glasses case, pens and voice recorder ended up all over the floor and under the seats in front of me. I had to kneel to pick everything up, but I’m still missing a pen.
The audience started to taunt me and slow hand clap. Bari Atwan remained silent throughout while Nebulsi had the nerve to accuse me of being disruptive. Bizarrely, she offered to escort me outside to retrieve my rucksack but I refused to leave until my stuff was returned. At no stage did anyone in the 40 strong audience come to my defence in any way:
Eventually, SOAS security retrieved my rucksack and, suprisingly, my coat, which must have been removed by someone from behind me while I wasn’t looking. My coat had my keys in it:
After my coat and rucksack had been returned and after I had managed to retrieve most of my belongings from the floor and from under the seats I left.
To say I felt shaken and pretty distressed is the least of it.
No one laid a finger on her.
The fact that both the Arab speakers and the audience did not want their meeting to be seen by the public shows that their talk about freedom of speech and their rights to criticize Israel is a front for spewing anti-Israel propaganda.
The only remaining question is whether there will be any repercussions against SOAS for assaulting Richard Millet.
We have already seen at an SOAS "Israel Apartheid Week" event a Muslim attacked a Jew, bit him, and destroyed his camera--and had all charges dismissed by the judge.
The question is whether there will be any consequences this time.
Here are some suggestions of things that you can do:
- If you are in the UK, please write to your MP and ask what he/she is going to do about this.
- Complain to the Director of SOAS, Professor Paul Webley - email - pw2@soas.ac.uk tel - 0207 898 4014.
- Complain to Vice Chancellor of Oxford University, Andrew Hamilton - email - vcweb@admin.ox.ac.uk tel - 01865 270252
- Complain to Abdel Bari-Atwan on twitter - @abdelbariatwan (Nabulsi does not have an active twitter account)
- If you know a journalist or blogger, please encourage them to write about what happened. This story should be making national news.
Technorati Tag: Israel.
I know and work alongside Richard whenever possible . Sometimes he goes it alone at these hate fests which is a concern to all those who know him .
ReplyDeleteRichard never interrupts . He merely sits there recording what is said and then posts on his blog . The camera does not lie . What gets said is what is on the blog , pure and simple .
Richard has become a known face on the circuit . The haters are inhibited by him . All they want to do is conduct their plotting and scheming , their lies and their racist ideology to a closed shop . They can all go home feeling good about themselves and how they have managed to delegitimise Israel at least in a meaningless debate .
Richard makes them uncomfortable . They know their lies and hatred are being scrutinised for all to see .
Rich metaphorically kicks over a stone and the insects go scurrying for cover and darkness once again .
It's important to understand what is going on in uk campuses . Antisemitism under the guise of antizionism is rife . Just listen to the Islamist accusing Richard of being an Israeli as a perjorative. He knows full well that Richard is British but is trained enough to know better than to call him a Jew . It makes no matter , Islamofascists and their far left comrades switch seamlessly between Zionist , Israeli and Jew .
Richard was within his rights to film this public event held on public property . No attempt was made to stop other members of the audience filming . In fact there is one hastily produced slide in Arabic ( most of the audience were Arabs ) which states Palestinians film .
Our universities have become havens for the islamofascist far left consortium . Our mainstream Zionist organisations have failed lamentably to get to grips with the problem on campus .