Anti-Israel conference to go ahead
AN ACADEMIC conference questioning the right of Israel to exist is to go ahead next month.
University College Cork (UCC) confirmed that the controversial gathering, which will include appearances by antiZionist historian Ilan Pappe and Southampton University’s Professor Oren Ben-Dior, will be held in an off-campus location in the Irish city on March 31 and April 1.
UCC management said they were discussing with organisers the possibility of a third day being held on the campus.
Last month, UCC officials expressed “disappointment and concern” after organisers announced the event would take place there without first discussing it with university officials.
They ruled that the event could not be held on campus unless organisers first agreed to several conditions.
The conference, called
had originally been scheduled to take place at Southampton University in March 2015. But it was cancelled after protests from the Jewish community, with the university citing safety reasons for the decision.
The Board of Deputies and MPs including Michael Gove and Eric Pickles were among those to condemn the conference two years ago.
Organisers said the decision to go ahead with the event was a victory for free speech.
BoardpresidentJonathanArkushsaid he was disappointed at the move but noted that it was unlikely that the event would be given “house-room” by UCC.
He added: “This meeting is by no means a genuine search for academic truth but, in reality, no more than a hate-fest dressed up as an academic conference.”