BATH, ENGLAND (SDJW) — Students at the University of Bath in England and at the University of British Columbia in Canada have rejected anti- Israel resolutions calling for boycott, divestment and sanctions against the Jewish State.
StandWithUs UK, reacting to a Bath Student Union vote of 249 in favor and 343 opposed, commented: “This BDS motion was brought up silently to surprise the students and pass it quickly. If the motion would have been passed, it would have incited hatred against Israel and foment bitter divisions on campus. The BDS vote had represented only about 800 students out of 17,000 total students…The efforts of the student leaders on the ground, by approaching various societies and explaining the negativity of the resolution and its intent, made the difference.”
“We applaud Bath for being one of the few universities to firmly stand against this bigoted motion on campus. Bath is upholding the right to free speech while making it clear that the university disapproves of the content of that speech. Bath took the opportunity to lead by example, excoriating calls for an academic boycott of Israel. We urge other schools to follow Bath’s example when they face similar predicaments about how to uphold free speech while condemning Boycott attempts.
“BDS activities on campuses across the UK have caused bitter divisiveness. The hate-mongering degrades discourse and creates a hostile, even threatening, environment for students and faculty who feel a connection to the State of Israel. It does not promote further understanding, reasonable and informed debate, or help the campus community consider what might bring peace to the troubled region.”
In Vancouver, a referendum calling for boycott, divestment, and sanctions measures against Israel resulted in 1396 Alma Mater Society members voting in favor and a majority–1513–voted against.
Cordelia Sank, President of the UBC Jewish Students Association, said,”I am Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli and I do not see the sense in harming either people in pursuit of an ambiguous ‘justice’. Regardless of the outcome, it is my hope the UBC community has learned from this referendum that coming together and promoting positive action is far better than fueling conflict and shutting down dialogue.”
In response to the vote, Meryle Kates, Executive Director of StandWithUs Canada, issued the following statement:
“This vote once again ensures that UBC will not participate in a campaign of hate against Israel and its people. We are especially proud of the students who ran the VoteNoUBC campaign, and succeeded despite facing a referendum question that was widely acknowledged to be loaded in favour of the other side. StandWithUs Canada congratulates UBC for coming together and recognizing that bigotry and discrimination should not be tolerated on their campus. We look forward to working with our partners to further empower students to tell Israel’s story and stand up to hate at UBC and beyond.”
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Preceding based on material provided by StandWithUs