Palestinians’ right to live free from Israeli occupation, apartheid and genocide should never be up for debate

On 9 November, students from the London School of Economics (LSE) protested a debate hosting Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom Tzipi Hotovely on campus. As British Jews Against Occupation have set out, Hotovely has an “appalling record of racist and inflammatory behaviour”. In spite of this, the university – as well as Tory and Labour politicians – rushed to denounce the peaceful protest. Police have launched an investigation.
People took to Twitter to highlight the hypocrisy of those defending Hotovely’s right to free speech while denouncing the actions of peaceful pro-Palestinian protestors.
Platforming a vocal fascist
Ahead of an LSE Students’ Union Debate Society event hosting Hotovely, LSE for Palestine shared plans to protest the platforming of the reported anti-Palestinian racist and Islamophobe. The student group planned a peaceful protest to take place outside the event in a display of solidarity with Palestine, and an attempt to disrupt and discredit the Israeli ambassador’s fascist ideology.
Hotovely is an ambassador of the apartheid Israeli state. She has a track record of spreading Israeli settler colonialism propaganda, Islamophobic rhetoric, and anti-Palestinian racist hate. She has described the Nakba – the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by the Israeli state – as an “Arab lie”. Hotovely also called for further Israeli occupation of Palestine through annexation. And she has denied the very existence of Palestinian people. Protesters also highlighted that she has espoused Islamophobic rhetoric, and is openly against relationships between Jewish and Arab people.
Ahead of the debate, the LSE Students’ Union Palestine Society shared a statement reading:
There is no room for such bigoted and racist rhetoric on our LSE campus. There is no room for the denial of Palestinian existence on our LSE campus. There is no room for colonial apologism on our LSE campus.
A peaceful student protest
While protesters chanted outside the building in which the debate was taking place, Hotovely retained her platform for the duration of the event. During that time, she denied the Nakba again. The only disruption inside the building was a group of students walking out in protest.
Read on...
Support us and go ad-freeStudent protestors booed as Hotovely left the building. In video footage, one protester can be heard asking “aren’t you ashamed” while security bundles the ambassador into a car. It appears that the protest was disruptive, raucous and passionate, but never violent. However, police allegedly assaulted students on their own university campus.
Maintaining that “Palestinian human rights are not up for debate”, LSE for Palestine posted:
We must keep this momentum going &make sure events like these never happen again.
Palestinian human rights are not up for debate and we will never stop resisting & agitating for a free Palestine and the liberation of Palestinians from the settler-colonial israeli apartheid regime— LSE for Palestine (@LSEforPalestine) November 9, 2021
Speaking out in support of student protestors, Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal tweeted:
Tzipi Hotovely is the Ambassador of a state rightly defined as practising apartheid. She is also a virulent racist with a confirmed record of anti Psalestinian discourse.⁸She should be met with protest in any arena she visits.
— Ben Jamal (@BenJamalpsc) November 10, 2021
However, LSE published a statement insinuating protestors engaged in “intimidation and threats of violence”. The university stated that it is prepared to take action against student protesters.
One Twitter user responded with:
For all the talk of “SU democracy” students will be harassed, surveilled & repressed by uni managemrnt for opposing racism, colonialism, Apartheid & their universities complicity in them.
The only option for resistance & liberation i ongoing demonstrations & direct action.
— negating the negation (@decolonialcommi) November 10, 2021
Fascists supporting fascists
In the wake of the protest, Hotovely soon garnered the support of right wing UK government officials. Home secretary Priti Patel posted a tweet saying that she was “disgusted” by the peaceful protest. And Middle East minister James Cleverly characterised protesters as “aggressive and threatening“.
Netpol responded to the home secretary’s support for the police investigation into the peaceful protest with:
Home Secretary Priti Patel again showing her contempt for freedom to protest https://t.co/45TR7ok6T5
— Netpol (@netpol) November 10, 2021
Reminding us where Patel stands on Palestinians’ right to live free from Israeli settler-colonialism, rapper Lowkey tweeted:
When Priti Patel seeks to criminalise pro-Palestinian protest by students, remember that she had 13 secret meetings with Israeli gov figures (inc Netanyahu) without the knowledge of the gov she represents, in which they discussed sending DFID funds to the Israeli Occupation Army.
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) November 11, 2021
Labour’s Israel apologists chip in
Soon, even Labour MPs spoke out against the peaceful student protest. Leader of the opposition Keir Starmer and shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy called the protest “unacceptable“. People were quick to call out the absurdity of members of the opposition vehemently supporting an out and proud fascist.
Responding to Starmer’s denouncement of student protesters, writer, journalist and broadcaster Aaron Bastani tweeted:
They were booing someone who represents a country credibly accused of war crimes after she had spoken for 90 minutes.
God help civil liberties in this country if Keir Starmer becomes PM. https://t.co/kieGcbpp44
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) November 10, 2021
Labour councillor Aydin Dikerdem said:
I’m so so angry today. The most basic principles of not just solidarity but fairness seem totally violated at the moment. Those kids did nothing wrong.
— Aydin Dikerdem (@AydinDikerdem) November 11, 2021
And campaign group Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Socialists shared:
Tzipi should feel unwelcome in this entire country given the beliefs and political stances she holds.
In fact all genocidal maniacs should feel unwelcome here… https://t.co/lNDj0eBDQp
— GRTSocialists #SaveSheikhJarrah (@GRTSocialists) November 11, 2021
Solidarity with student protesters
In spite of backlash from LSE, the government and the mainstream media, many have spoken out in defence of the student protesters. Pro-Palestinian student societies from the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) and King’s College London (KCL) spoke out in solidarity with LSE protesters, setting out that proponents of apartheid are not welcome on their campuses either.
Moved by this display of inter-institution solidarity, City, University of London Students’ Union president Shaima Dallali tweeted:
There's something so inspiring about students coming together for a common cause. A huge shout out to the different Palsocs across London who showed up for @LSEforPalestine to say apartheid off campus!🇵🇸✊🏾@SOAS_Palestine @CityFOP_ @kcl_sjp @uclsjp @QMULPalSoc & others
— Shaima Dallali (@ShaimaDallali) November 10, 2021
Journalist Robert Carter, who reported from the protest, shared:
Unlike all the shameless Labour and Conservative MPs rushing to board the "every student's an anti-Semite" bandwagon, I was actually there reporting at LSE the night of the protest.
The only racist I saw that day was Israel's Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely.
— Robert Carter (@Bob_cart124) November 11, 2021
Al Jazeera producer Linah Alsaafin shared:
Says a lot about this British government crying wolf and jumping to defend a racist Islamophobe like far-right Tzipi Hotovely, who has consistently denied the existence of Palestinians and is a strong supporter of illegal settlements.
— لينة (@LinahAlsaafin) November 10, 2021
Free speech for whom?
Speaking to the suppression of marginalised voices in the name of ‘free speech’, Ana Oppenheim shared:
Both major parties calling for a *police investigation* because some students organised a pro-Palestine protest on their campus is really, really chilling.
Why is it always about protecting the free speech of the famous and powerful but denying it to everyone else?
— Ana Oppenheim🌹⚡ (@AnaOpp) November 10, 2021
Responding to LSE for Palestine’s statement defending the protest, Palestinian writer and journalist Mohammed El-Kurd said:
Great. There should be no place indeed for Nakba deniers and anti-Palestinian racists on campus. 👊🏼 https://t.co/yQcsCzffwk
— Mohammed El-Kurd (@m7mdkurd) November 10, 2021
Urging people to speak up in defence of Palestine, assistant professor at LSE Sara Salem tweeted:
Solidarity with @LSEforPalestine. In light of disturbing media and government responses to the right of students to protest on campus, it's so important we defend spaces of solidarity with Palestine https://t.co/OECzft4pnJ
— Sara Salem (@saramsalem) November 11, 2021
And co-director of LSE’s centre for human rights Ayça Çubukçu said:
Solidarity with @LSEforPalestine students now. Beyond the prospects of democratic protest on LSE's campus, this is an affair that concerns the future of Palestine solidarity activism in the UK, even beyond. Time to speak up. #DecoloniseLSE
— Ayça Çubukçu (@ayca_cu) November 11, 2021
Bringing attention back to the violent reality of Israeli occupation, one Twitter user shared:
mohammed daadas, a 13 year old child, was recently shot and killed by israeli occupation forces during demonstrations against their apartheid. meanwhile you've got people like nandy talking about 'freedom of speech' wrt demonstratrstions against tzipi hotovely
— pez (@periuspb) November 10, 2021
Arguments denouncing the peaceful student protest while crying wolf about the Israeli ambassador’s right to free speech beg the questions: ‘free from what?’ and ‘free for whom?’. Palestinians’ right to live free from Israeli occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing should certainly never be up for debate. The state and its institutions may be coming after student protesters, but the protesters stand firmly on the right side of history.
Featured image via Ömer Yıldız/Unsplash
Support us and go ad-freeWe know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
An Extremist Racist Apartheid White Colonialist Terrorist Regime has an Embassy with an Extremist Racist White Colonialist Apartheid Ambassador in Great White Britain 2021!
The “Opposition Party” Thatcher’s Neo-New-Labour Parasite TORY Party is as keen as their hero Thatcher and their Colleagues accross the Aisle to stand by Apartheid just as Thatcher did and
too busy witchhunting, persecuting Black, Muslim, Other Minorities including “Fringe” and Black Jews, especially is they are Women!
I guess in The Neo-New-Labour TORY Party’s little minds ‘if they get rid of them the Forde Report “vanishes with them”‘, I very much doubt that the Forde Report is going anywhere untill it’s dealt with!
It is quite mind-blowing that in 2021 we are sympathising and even entertain having an ambassador from an Extremist Racist Apartheid White Colonialist Terrorist Regime in Britain, but she is painted the victim!
All while her Terrorist Regime are Testing Weapons “Mowing the Lawn” on Children, Woman and Innocent Civilians, so that they can have them MANUFACTURED AND STAMPED AS TESTED, RIGHT HERE IN THE UK!
That on it’s own should be enough to expel the Ambassador, shut the embassy, expell Apartheid Terrorist Arms Manufacturing, Ban Zionism as Racist, Apartheid, Terrorist and extremely Dangerous!
The Palestinians have every right to self determination, every right to be furious, yet who is the angry, killer? The invading Zionist! You just have to look at the factual figures to see who is Terrorist and who is the REAL victim!
It is sickening how easily the misinformation capital of the world squashed NGO’s who are sharing the truth and facts and how quickly certain nations condemned said NGOs! Frightening to think, like Julian Assange speaking the truth now has to be done undercover and in hiding, The Thruth, Justice, Equality, Peace, etc has become the Enemy of most Nations and Regimes, anyone who dares to speak it a Terrorist!
Luntzspeak is now the only language and The Global Language Dictionary, the only version of it! The only trouble of the limited Luntzspeak and start leaning it at 4yo is that your lies become easily exposed and “your reality” becomes what your lies are!
One needn’t be a fascist to support a fascist’s right to freedom of speech
A fascist’s right to freedom of speech does not include the right to shut down peaceful protest. And we have anti-hate laws. If anyone stood on a platform in the UK and said the Jews do not exist, they would quickly find themselves being prosecuted for hate crime. Why is it fine for an Ambassador to deny the existence of an entire people? The entire episode has all the hallmarks of a set-up. The Israeli lobby is very good at them. Why didn’t Hotovely debate? What kind of debating society lets people speak without opposition? Hustling her away under security was intended to signal she was under threat, and then came the hysteria. Classic manipulation. She didn’t even have a soft tomato thrown at her. If there had been one old man outside the venue carrying a placard reading “Israel is a racist State” the pro-Israel lobby would have claimed Hotovely’s life was in danger. Soon it will be anti-Semitic to say it rains in Tel Aviv. All this is a sure sign of the crumbling status of Israel in the world. Israel not Jewry. Let Jewry flourish, but the racist State of Israel must be brought to heel.