Protests against Gaza op last year (archives)
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Supporting the troops during Cast Lead (archives)
Student protest of Cast Lead canceled
Haifa University management decides to revoke license granted to Arab student groups to protest on campus on anniversary of Israeli operation in Gaza out of concern for 'disturbances of peace.' Hadash group: We will continue fighting occupation, blockade
Silencing opposition or preventing incitement? The management at Haifa University decided Tuesday to revoke a license it granted to Arab student groups to protest Wednesday on campus on the anniversary of Operation Cast Lead.
The university officially reported that the decision was made out of concern for disturbances of the peace. University management sources said to Ynet that they received information indicating that both the protest leaders as well as students from Zionist groups on campus, which had organized a counter-protest, were planning on bringing figures from outside the campus in order to reinforce their ranks.
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The Student Union claimed that the cancellation was prompted by pressure placed on the university management and an appeal to the education minister.
"Pamphlets recruiting for the protest were already being distributed Monday, and included inciting statements comparing the government's decisions with the acts of terrorist organizations. The Union, which represents all students with the objective of creating a regular procedure for joint studies between Jews and Arabs on campus, placed heavy pressure on management to revoke the protest license," said Student Union Spokesman Uriel Gazit.
According to him, "There is already significant tension on campus. It started with protests against the Gaza operation a year ago, and subsequently brought Sheikh Raad Saleh to speak here. We wish to prevent agitation."
Student Union Chairman Roi Ben Shalosh claimed that the University of Haifa allowed incitement under the guise of freedom of speech in the past. "This is not the first time that the university management has allowed such statements. Freedom of speech does not extend legitimacy to incitement. We will not be a part of these types of events on campus. We see these types of events with seriousness, and will not allow university management to provide a platform for extremism within the walls of the campus," Ben Shalosh said.
Director general of the Hadash student group at the University of Haifa, Waal Sawaid, said to Ynet that cancelling the protests violates students' freedom of speech.
"The management surrendered once again to extremists, to students from the Right, to those who seek to restrict individual liberties on campus," said Sawaid. "The protest is not against other students, but against the continuation of the blockade on Gaza and the continued occupation.
The protests, where were slated to take place at the University of Haifa and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, were organized by Arab students and left-wing activists from Hadash, Balad, Eqraa, and Sons of the Village.
In their protest, they intended to express "support for our Palestinian brothers and bringing the war criminals to justice," while calling for "unity in the struggle against the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."
Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar's office declined comment on the matter.
Yaheli Moran Zelikovich contributed to this article
