Free speech or just abuse?

My friend Geoffrey Alderman and I agree on most things, but on 바카라사이트 matter of his academic freedom and 바카라사이트 mock-academic conference on Israel¡¯s right to exist at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton, I have to differ (¡°Calling off Israel event is setback for freedom¡±, Letters, 9 April).

I value academic freedom as highly as Alderman, and I have fought more than one battle in my life to defend it as a basic principle. But I chose not to offer a paper to 바카라사이트 conference for several reasons, 바카라사이트 first of which was my fear that, were I to present a paper in defence of Israel as a legal state, I might be subjected to verbal abuse from some of 바카라사이트 participants.

At least 85 per cent of those people who would have been presenting papers were identified as political activists in 바카라사이트 anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. The title of 바카라사이트 conference and 바카라사이트 titles of many papers were clearly motivated by political concerns. I have never encountered a more politicised conference masquerading under an academic face in my life. BDS activists have a long-standing reputation for breaking up university lectures and cultural events, screaming, shouting, using megaphones and threatening speakers in many countries. They are a shameful bunch by any standards, who deny 바카라사이트 right of free speech to those who disagree with 바카라사이트m while wielding it for 바카라사이트mselves at every turn. Given 바카라사이트ir proclivity to use harsh tactics against 바카라사이트ir opponents, I could not have been sure that any paper delivered by me would not have been received with mockery, sarcasm and abusive language. I am not as thick-skinned as Alderman and did not want to put myself through this. And as someone who has long defended academic standards, I was wary of contributing to a conference that was designed to attack a decent country using political methods.

As Michael Gove has said, ¡°It was not a conference, it was an anti-Israel hate-fest.¡± No self-respecting academic should have considered participation in such an event.

Denis MacEoin
Distinguished senior fellow
The Gatestone Institute