[Air-l] AOIR on AUT?

[Ellis Godard]

Paula wrote:
> It would appear that BRICUP is acting in *defence* of 
> academic freedom here. Well, from a Brit point of view 
> anyway! 

Please clarify that. How does blacklisting interaction with Bar-Ilan
faculty defend academic freedom?

> I think everyone understands that there are many Israeli 
> people, including academics, who are working in difficult 
> circumstances to oppose policies which are oppressive to the 
> Palestinian people but this was also true of South Africa 
> under apartheid. In South Africa, white members of the ANC 
> also called for support from us in the form of boycotts. Many 
> Brits understand the UK's part in creating these situations 
> historically and are anxious now to try to do the right 
> thing. Obviously, there are always arguments about boycotting 
> as a strategy, but I think it undoubtedly was a factor in 
> ending the apartheid system in SA and, since we can't rely on 
> our government to act in accordance with the ethical or 
> political views of the majority of the British population, 
> we'll just have to do what we can ourselves through more 
> localised institutions.

A boycott of the two universities is one matter. But the AUT declaration
is a blacklist of anyone associated with those universities. Barring
inter-faculty communication cannot advance the cause of altering Isreali
policy; it may, rather, hinder any such progress. (Defending free
inquiry and communication, by the way, advances neither cause.)

-eg