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<h1 class="title" id="page-title">Leaked email reveals ADL advice to
universities urging anti-Palestine crackdown</h1>
<div class="submitted">
<span property="dc:date dc:created"
content="2014-09-16T21:45:19+00:00" datatype="xsd:dateTime"
rel="sioc:has_creator">Submitted by <span class="username"
xml:lang="" about="/users/ali-abunimah"
typeof="sioc:UserAccount" property="foaf:name" datatype="">Ali
Abunimah</span> on Tue, 09/16/2014 - 21:45<br>
<b><small><small><small><small><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/leaked-email-reveals-adl-advice-universities-urging-anti-palestine-crackdown">http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/leaked-email-reveals-adl-advice-universities-urging-anti-palestine-crackdown</a></small></small></small></small></b><br>
</span> </div>
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<div id="file-28918" class="file file-image file-image-jpeg
media-element file-full" style="width:618px;"><br>
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<p>As college students go back to class across the US, the <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/anti-defamation-league">Anti-Defamation
League</a> (ADL) is urging a renewed crackdown on Palestine
solidarity activism on campus – and at least one California
university leader appears to be receptive.</p>
<p><a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/university-california-davis">University
of California, Davis</a> Chancellor Linda Katehi’s office
shared an email (<a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/leaked-email-reveals-adl-advice-universities-urging-anti-palestine-crackdown#email">full
text below</a>) from Seth Brysk, Central Pacific Regional
Director for the ADL, with all of her university’s senior
leadership on Monday.</p>
<p>The email warns about an upcoming day of action for Palestinian
rights and calls for extra security and “discipline.”</p>
<p>It singles out the advocacy group <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/american-muslims-palestine">American
Muslims for Palestine</a> (AMP) for special attention and
makes thinly-veiled allegations of anti-Jewish activity.</p>
<p>The distribution list Katehi’s office sent Brysk’s memo to
includes more than two dozen top administrators who make up the
<a
href="http://provost.ucdavis.edu/councils-and-committees/deans.html">Council
of Deans</a> and <a
href="http://www.ucdavis.edu/administration/vice-chancellors.html">Vice
Chancellors</a>, and Nick Crossley, the “emergency manager” of
the UC Davis police department.</p>
<p>Reached by telephone, the ADL’s Brysk was unwilling to discuss
the email with The Electronic Intifada. “That was intended for
the person I sent it and I have no comment,” Brysk said. “I’m
not sure how you got hold of it and I’m going to hang up now.”</p>
<p>Katehi became notorious as the “Pepper Spray Chancellor” after
university police <a
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/10/uc-davis-pepper-spray-settlement_n_2450631.html">attacked
dozens of students protesting peacefully</a> against tuition
fee increases with pepper spray in 2011.</p>
<p>In 2012, Katehi <a
href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/ucd/katehi-leads-delegation-of-university-leaders-to-israel/">led
a delegation of US university leaders</a> on a propaganda tour
to Israel organized by the American Jewish Committee’s Project
Interchange – an initiative aimed at fostering support for
Israel among US elites.</p>
<h2>After Gaza</h2>
<p>“We write to you today to provide information and
recommendations about how to respond to conflicts that may arise
on your campus due to the recent conflict in Gaza,” the ADL
email states.</p>
<p>“In the wake of the recent crisis, anti-Israel organizations
are placing increasing pressure on academic institutions to
engage in a ‘Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions’ (BDS) activities
[<em>sic</em>],” it adds.</p>
<p>The ADL email warns Katehi to “Be aware of the discourse around
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that takes place on your campus
and the potential for escalation.”</p>
<p>It urges her to “Review student codes of conduct to ensure that
activity which is detrimental to the free exchange of ideas is
not allowed on campus.”</p>
<p>It also cites ”Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
particularly the responsibility of the school not only to
investigate an incident, but to take prompt and effective steps
to eliminate any hostile environment” – an implicit threat of
legal action if the university does not sufficiently crack down
on Palestine-related activities.</p>
<h2>Targeting Muslim students</h2>
<p>The ADL email describes American Muslims for Palestine as “the
leading organization providing anti-Zionist training and
education to students and Muslim community organizations around
the country” and alleges that “AMP advocates for a variety of
BDS-related initiatives – all in an effort to isolate and
demonize Israel and Jewish communal organizations.”</p>
<p>It also states that AMP’s call for a day of action is
“scheduled for the evening before the Jewish holiday Rosh
Hashanah.”</p>
<p>Neither AMP nor the Palestinian-led BDS movement advocate for
actions targeting “Jewish communal organizations.”</p>
<p>They call for actions aimed at institutions complicit with
Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights, including
universities and corporations.</p>
<p>The allegation that AMP targets Jewish groups and the reference
to Rosh Hashanah appear to be an effort by the ADL to stoke
religious tension and to portray Palestine solidarity activism
as anti-Semitic – a common and increasingly shrill tactic of
anti-Palestinian groups.</p>
<p>The email was forwarded from the chancellor’s office with a
note stating “For your information,” suggesting that the
chancellor considers it to be sound advice that her subordinates
should adopt.</p>
<p>It is a reasonable assumption that the ADL has sent similar
emails to other university leaders across California and perhaps
other states.</p>
<p>A person familiar with UC Davis distribution lists told The
Electronic Intifada that it was unusual for such communications
from private advocacy groups to be shared in this manner with
the university leadership.</p>
<p>Amid its call for “discipline,” legal warnings and the demand
for outright prohibition of certain activities, the ADL urges
Katehi to “Send a senior university official to potentially
hostile events and prior to the start of the event have him or
her remind those in attendance of university codes of conduct
regarding free speech and civil discourse.”</p>
<p>The ADL’s description of campus activities related to Palestine
as “hostile events” suggests that the university should treat
them as security threats.</p>
<p>The reference to “civil discourse” in this context is
particularly chilling following the firing of <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/steven-salaita">Steven
Salaita</a> by the University of Illinois for no discernible
reason other than his expressions of horror at Israel’s latest
massacre in Gaza.</p>
<p>“The ADL has always been in the business of censoring
Palestine’s narrative and promoting Israel and Zionism but they
are going a step further by recruiting UC Davis and other
university leadership to effectively employ prior restraint on
Palestinians’ free speech,” AMP chair Hatem Bazian told The
Electronic Intifada.</p>
<p>“We are increasingly witnessing and documenting the
Israelization of the university and instrumentalizing academia
into the <em>hasbara</em> network,” Bazian, a senior lecturer
at UC Berkeley, added.</p>
<p><a href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/hasbara"><em>Hasbara</em></a>
is the Hebrew term Israel uses to describe its efforts to win
global support.</p>
<p>The ADL email is another indicator that there will be no let up
this fall in Israel lobby efforts to use all repressive means
available to stigmatize and punish, if not shut down altogether,
campus criticism of Israel’s crimes.</p>
<h2 id="email">ADL email</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>From: Lori Hubbard <a href="mailto:lahubbard@ucdavis.edu">lahubbard@ucdavis.edu</a><br>
Subject: Fall Campus Activities<br>
Date: September 15, 2014 at 9:26:19 AM PDT<br>
To: “<a href="mailto:codvc@ucdavis.edu">codvc@ucdavis.edu</a>”
<a href="mailto:codvc@ucdavis.edu">codvc@ucdavis.edu</a>, Nick
Crossley <a href="mailto:ncrossley@ucdavis.edu">ncrossley@ucdavis.edu</a><br>
Cc: “’<a href="mailto:codvc-assist@ucdavis.edu">codvc-assist@ucdavis.edu</a>’
(<a href="mailto:codvc-assist@ucdavis.edu">codvc-assist@ucdavis.edu</a>)”
<a href="mailto:codvc-assist@ucdavis.edu">codvc-assist@ucdavis.edu</a></p>
<p><em>For your information.</em></p>
<p>From: Brysk, Seth [<a href="mailto:SBrysk@adl.org]">mailto:SBrysk@adl.org]</a><br>
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2014 3:49 PM<br>
To: Linda P.B. Katehi<br>
Subject: Fall Campus Activities<br>
Importance: High</p>
<p>Dear Chancellor Katehi,</p>
<p>We write to you today to provide information and
recommendations about how to respond to conflicts that may
arise on your campus due to the recent conflict in Gaza.</p>
<p>Over the last several years, we have seen individual students
and student groups critical of Israel attempt to stifle
dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by disrupting
events on campus and refusing to work with pro-Israel and
Jewish student groups. In the wake of the recent crisis,
anti-Israel organizations are placing increasing pressure on
academic institutions to engage in a “Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions” (BDS) activities.</p>
<p>You should be aware that American Muslims for Palestine
(AMP), the leading organization providing anti-Zionist
training and education to students and Muslim community
organizations around the country, recently issued a statement
calling for an “International Day of Action on College
Campuses” on September 23. AMP advocates for a variety of
BDS-related initiatives - all in an effort to isolate and
demonize Israel and Jewish communal organizations. These
efforts serve only to polarize students on campus, inflame
existing tensions, and often isolate and intimidate Jewish
students.</p>
<p>AMP’s call for a “Day of Action” –scheduled for the evening
before the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah– urges the elimination
of study abroad programs in Israel, a ban on university
administrators traveling to Israel, and scholars to refuse to
participate in research or conferences with colleagues from
Israeli institutions. Such tactics disrupt campus life and
stifle the ideals of inquiry, free expression, and the civil
exchange of ideas - - precisely the foundation on which
university communities are built.</p>
<p>The Anti-Defamation League is a strong advocate of free
speech and we do not seek to censor or stifle opinions in the
university community. We have a long history of fighting for
the ideals of individual expression and the free exchange of
ideas, even when we disagree with the ideas being exchanged.
However, no university should countenance attempts to
discourage and suppress free speech, or harass and intimidate
Jewish and other students. When this occurs, as in the
examples noted above, appropriate action should be taken.</p>
<p>To address these concerns, we urge you to consider
implementing the following policies and practices in the
coming academic year:</p>
<ul>
<li>Be aware of the discourse around the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict that takes place on your campus and the potential
for escalation.</li>
<li>Review student codes of conduct to ensure that activity
which is detrimental to the free exchange of ideas is not
allowed on campus.</li>
<li>When an event takes place on campus where there is
potential for disruption, ensure that adequate security is
provided to prevent any dangerous escalation in the
disruption and ensure the safety of the speakers, organizers
and attendees.</li>
<li>Send a senior university official to potentially hostile
events and prior to the start of the event have him or her
remind those in attendance of university codes of conduct
regarding free speech and civil discourse.</li>
<li>Remember the school’s obligations under Title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972, particularly the
responsibility of the school not only to investigate an
incident, but to take prompt and effective steps to
eliminate any hostile environment and to take proactive
steps to prevent its recurrence.</li>
<li>If the actions of the protestors violate any university
policies or codes of conduct, appropriately discipline those
involved.</li>
<li>Use your own right to free speech to condemn actions which
go against the ideals of the university.</li>
<li>Reach out to individual students and organizations who may
have been negatively affected by an incident.</li>
<li>Provide educational opportunities on campus that foster an
environment of inclusion, acceptance and respect.</li>
</ul>
<p>As one of the country’s premier civil rights organizations,
ADL has decades of experience in helping administrators and
students on campus respond to bigotry and intergroup strife.
We would be happy to discuss the challenges many campuses face
today and to assist your efforts to ensure that your campus
remains a place where all viewpoints can be discussed in an
atmosphere of respect and civility. We encourage you to be in
touch with us if you have any questions.</p>
<p>Sincerely,<br>
Seth Brysk<br>
Central Pacific Regional Director</p>
<p>Anti-Defamation League | 720 Market Street, Suite 800 | San
Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: 415-981-3500 | Fax: 415-981-8933 | <a
href="http://www.adl.org">www.adl.org</a></p>
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