Stand With Us protests coming Falk lecture at SDSU

SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– StandWithUs-San Diego is calling on the community to join in protest against San Diego State University offering course credit to students to attend a lecture by anti-Israel extremist Richard Falk on April 7.

Falk speaks at SDSU as part of the Holster Series presented Mondays by Professor Jonathan Graubart Ph.D/JD from 4-6:30pm.

“Richard Falk has built a career on the public advocacy of offensive, extremist, and intellectually irresponsible views,” said Nicole Bernstein, executive director of StandWithUS-San Diego.  “By offering course credit to attend a one-sided lecture, it effectively normalizes anti-Israel discourse into acceptable college ‘teaching material.

“While we are unequivocally committed to upholding free speech and academic freedom, we believe that SDSU’s association with Richard Falk undermines the university’s academic reputation and will provide a platform for spreading anti-Israel bigotry. It is one thing to allow this anti-Jewish, anti-American conspiracy theorist of the worst kind on campus under the guise of free speech and academic freedom; it is another thing entirely to encourage and endorse it, which by offering students credit for attending this speech is what SDSU is plainly doing,” said Bernstein.

Bernstein said that Falk’s “long history of expressing and endorsing troubling views about Israel, Jews, and other issues” has been widely condemned by leaders in the international community, including the U.S. Administration, the U.N., and the Palestinian Authority.

On June 7, 2013, the U.S. Government called for Falk’s resignation or removal from the U.N. after he submitted a report attacking the organization “UN Watch”.  On March 24, 2014, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power condemned Richard Falk publicly with the following statement: “Falk’s relentless anti-Israeli bias, his noxious and outrageous perpetuation of 9/11 conspiracy theories and his publication of bizarre and insulting material has tarnished the U.N.’s reputation and undermined the effectiveness of the Human Rights Council.” and, “The United States welcomes Mr. Falk’s departure, which is long overdue.”

StandWithUs is calling on the community to join its efforts.  It has submitted the following alternatives to the university administration:

– Cancel the lecture.

– Remove course credit for Richard Falk’s lecture and have the lecture moved off campus so that it is not associated with the university or the Hostler Series.

– Change the format from a one-sided lecture to a debate in order to truly promote civil dialogue on challenging, controversial issues.

This past Friday, SWU’s recommendations were rejected by the SDSU administration which stands by its decision. Bernstein stated, “only a community-wide effort will send a message to the SDSU administration that it is unacceptable to offer course credit to a discredited, biased individual.  Moreover, of the 8 lectures planned in the Holster series, 5 deal with Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with only 1 highlighting the Israeli side of the conflict, and 4 focusing on the Palestinian narrative.”

Bernstein provided “a non-exhaustive list of the troubling views Richard Falk has expressed or endorsed”:

“In April, 2013 Richard Falk blamed American policy, including its alliance with Israel, for the Boston Marathon Bombings. He was widely condemned by U.S., UN, and European officials.[1]

“In December, 2012 Human Rights Watch (HRW) removed Richard Falk from one of its committees after receiving a letter detailing his troubling views.[2]

“In September, 2011 Richard Falk publicly endorsed Gilad Atzmon’s, “The Wandering Who?” a book which has been widely criticized as anti-Semitic.[3] Even leaders of the Palestinian solidarity movement recently condemned and distanced themselves from Atzmon and his work but Professor Falk has publicly refused to do the same.[4]

“In July, 2011 Richard Falk was condemned by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay for posting an anti-Semitic cartoon on his blog.[5]  Here is a timeline of the Cartoon Controversy and Falk’s denial that it is anti-Semitic in nature: http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1316871&ct=10896001

“In January, 2011 Richard Falk wrote that there was ‘an apparent cover-up’ by the U.S. government over 9/11 and praised David Ray Griffin, a leading proponent of the claim that 9/11 was an inside job.[6] His remarks were condemned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and many others.[7]

“In 2011 Richard Falk accused Israel of ethnically cleansing Palestinians in East Jerusalem, despite the fact that the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem has grown by 280% over the last four decades.[8]

“In 2010 Richard Falk endorsed the one-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.[9] The one-state solution means eliminating Israel and replacing it with a majority Palestinian state. This would end Jewish self-determination, in violation of the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states ‘All peoples have the right of self-determination.'[10]

“In 2010 the Palestinian Authority called Richard Falk ‘a partisan of Hamas’ and called on him to resign as UN Special Rapporteur.[11]

“In 2007 Richard Falk falsely accused Israel of planning a holocaust, or genocide, of Palestinians.[12]

Bernstein urged those wishing to join StandWithUs in protest to contact San Diego State University via Andrea Rollins, Ed.D., Chief of Staff,  Office of the President,  San Diego State University at (619)-594-5201 or via  arollins@mail.sdsu.edu

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[1] Richard Falk, “Commentary on the Marathon Murders,” April 19, 2013, at http://richardfalk.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/a-commentary-on-the-marathon-murders/; U.N. Watch, “Archive for the ‘Richard Falk’ Category,” June, 2013, at http://blog.unwatch.org/?cat=42

[2] JTA, “Richard Falk removed from Human Rights Watch Committee,” December 18, 2012, at http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/12/18/3114871/richard-falk-removed-from-human-rights-watch-committee; Richard Falk, “A Commentary on the Marathon Murders,” April 9, 2013, at http://richardfalk.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/a-commentary-on-the-marathon-murders/#comment-13083

[3] Gilad Atzmon, “Endorsements for Gilad Atzmon’s The Wandering Who,” September 30, 2011, at http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/endorsements-for-gilad-atzmons-the-wandering-who.html;

Keith Kahn-Harris, “Non Jewish Jews,” Jewish Quarterly, January, 2012, at http://jewishquarterly.org/2012/01/non-jewish-jews/;

Alan Dershowitz, “Why are John Mearsheimer and Richard Falk Endorsing a Blatantly Anti-Semitic Book?” The New Republic, November 4, 2011, at http://www.newrepublic.com/article/politics/97030/atzmon-wandering-who-anti-semitism-israel#

[4] Ali Abunimah, “Palestinian writers, activists disavow racism, anti-Semitism of Gilad Atzmon,” Electronic Intifada, March 13, 2012, at http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinian-writers-activists-disavow-racism-anti-semitism-gilad-atzmon;

Richard Falk, “Saying No to Alan Dershowitz,” November 10, 2011, at http://richardfalk.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/saying-no-to-alan-dershowitz/

[5] Jeremy Sharon, “Pillay says Falk’s cartoon was anti-Semitic, objectionable,” Jerusalem Post, July 14, 2011, at http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Pillay-says-Falks-cartoon-was-anti-Semitic-objectionable

[6] Richard Falk, “Interrogating the Arizona Killings from a Safe Distance,” January 11, 2011, at http://richardfalk.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/interrogating-the-arizona-killings-from-a-safe-distance/

[7] Reuters, “U.N. chief condemns rights expert’s 9/11 comments,” Reuters, Jan. 24, 2011 at http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70O05O20110125

[8] Reuters, “UN expert repeats ‘ethnic cleansing’ claim against Israel,” Jerusalem Post, March 21, 2011, at http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=213167; Nadav Shragai, “Demography, Geopolitics, and the Future of Israel’s Capital: Jerusalem’s Proposed Master Plan,” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 2010, at http://jcpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Jerusalem-Master-Plan.pdf

[9] Movement for One Democratic State in Palestine, “Dr. Richard Falk Endorses One State In Israel-Palestine,” Countercurrents, November, 2010, at http://www.countercurrents.org/ods011110.htm

[10] UN, “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” 1994, at http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cpr.html

[11] Jared Malsin, “UN expert Richard Falk: PA told me to quit,” Maan News, June 22, 2010, at http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=267176

[12] Richard Falk, “Slouching Toward A Palestinian Holocaust,” Countercurrents, July 7, 2007, at http://www.countercurrents.org/falk070707.htm

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