Friday, 30 January 2015

UJS unequivocally condemns the comments made on Holocaust Memorial Day during an event at LSE

UJS unequivocally condemns the comments made on Holocaust Memorial Day during and after the event 'Gender and Resistance in Occupied Palestine' held by LSESU Palestine Society joit with LSESU Feminist Society. During this talk, speakers made remarks glorifying terrorism where a speaker commended a suicide bomb attack against an Israeli convoy in Southern Lebanon which killed two Israeli soldiers and injured ‘10-12 more’, claiming it was “amazing”, “admirable” and worthy of a “standing ovation." Most appalling is the response of research fellow at the LSE's Middle East Centre and chair of the event, Aitemad Muhanna-Matar, who during the talk claimed that the Palestinians had no choice “but to sacrifice their bodies." Muhanna-Matar has since equated the Nazi persecution against Jewish people to the Israel-Palestine conflict, a claim that directly breaches LSESU policy on fighting antisemitism.

Jewish students around the UK are working tirelessly to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia in the aftermath of recent anti-Semitic attacks, and comments such as these only undermine these efforts.

UJS support all Jewish students taking action against this situation and will be working tirelessly with the Jewish society and ARAF officer in their efforts to ensure that LSE campus remains a space where hate speech is not tolerated and all students remain safe.