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December 5, 2003
Daniel Pipes talk at UBC
Pro-Palestinian group plans protest, campus ready.
PAT JOHNSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Jewish students and Israel supporters are girding for a confrontational
noon meeting this Friday at the University of British Columbia,
as local Palestinians and pro-Palestinian activists protest the
presence of an American academic who is strongly pro-Zionist.
Local Palestinian activists have called on supporters to protest
the presentation by Daniel Pipes, a Middle East specialist and media
commentator with close links to the Bush administration. Of particular
concern to Pipes' critics is his Web site campus-watch.org, which
tracks anti-Israel and anti-Semitic comments on North American campuses,
but which critics say threatens the free expression of academia.
The Palestinian Solidarity Group has actively urged members and
supporters to be at UBC to protest Pipes' presentation, which is
titled War in the Holy Land: Where do we go from Here? In response,
the Israel advocacy clubs on the campuses of UBC, Simon Fraser University
and Langara College have urged their supporters to come out in numbers
to show support for Israel. Both sides are urging people to arrive
early, at least by 11:30 a.m., to fill the 400-seat Norm Theatre,
in UBC's student union building. Fire regulations mean anyone arriving
after the theatre is filled will not be permitted entry.
Eyal Lichtmann, director of Hillel on the UBC campus, has credited
the university's administration with avoiding the pitfalls other
Canadian campuses have fallen into in banning controversial speakers.
Last year, Concordia University in Montreal banned all public discussion
of Mideast affairs after a planned presentation by former Israeli
prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu was cancelled due to pro-Palestinian
mob violence outside the university's downtown campus.
"The response from the university has been excellent,"
said Lichtmann. "They strongly believe in free speech."
The university has undertaken its own security processes in conjunction
with the event organizers and Lichtmann said he is confident in
the campus' preparedness for protest.
"UBC is used to bringing in high-profile speakers to campus,"
he said, but he urged a strong showing by Zionists to avoid leaving
the impression that Israel is without allies here.
"It is absolutely essential and critical that the community
show up," said Lichtmann. "We need Jewish supporters and
friends of Israel there."
Organizers were in the process, at press time, of finding a strong,
experienced moderator to ensure that all sides are given an opportunity
to express their views in the question-and-answer session.
Lichtmann noted that Pipes is a controversial figure even within
the campus clubs, where divergent opinions on Middle East affairs
reflect the broad spectrum that is also seen in the larger Jewish
community.
"Our student body is ... diverse," he said. "But
we all agree that he should be able to come here and speak."
Pipes is also speaking at Hillel's annual gala Sunday night and
Palestinian activists have also suggested they may protest there.
Tickets for the event, which takes place at the Delta Hotel in Richmond,
are available from Hillel at 604-224-4748.
Pat Johnson is a native Vancouverite, a journalist and
commentator.
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