Legislators and Leaders Oppose Hate Group Conference at GMU
Hamilton, VA – Several members of
the Virginia General Assembly, along with individuals and organizations
concerned with anti-Semitic activities, today issued a letter calling on George
Mason University (GMU) to prevent the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) National conference from being held on
the University’s campus. George Mason University StudentsAgainst Israeli Apartheid (SAIA), is the event’s host organization.
George Mason University’s code of conduct states: “The right to free
speech and expression does not include unlawful activity or activity that
endangers or threatens to endanger the safety or well-being of any member of
the community.”
The legislators, and other signers, state that “A group that incites
hate, fuels violent behavior and places citizens’ lives at great risk should
not be allowed to use any facility in this Commonwealth of Virginia, let alone
a taxpayer-funded educational institution. We ask George Mason University
to assure us they will not allow organizations whose record includes activity
that endangers or threatens to endanger the safety of others to have access to
facilities.”
Delegate Dave LaRock (R-33), says “George Mason, a publicly funded
institution, is not differentiating between organizations which participate a
healthy public discourse and those whose stated goals are to harm innocent
human beings. The groups hosting this anti-Israel conference have direct ties to
terrorist organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. Granting them
access to public facilities is analogous to hosting a Ku Klux Klan or a neo-Nazi
rally on campus: it is antithetical to a free society which respects the rights
of all.”
Earlier this year, the Virginia General Assembly passed HJ177, to “…reaffirm
their support for the State of Israel and oppose all attempts to economically
and politically isolate Israel within the international arena, including
promotion of economic, cultural, and academic boycotts, and all efforts to
assault the legitimacy of the State of Israel as the sovereign homeland of the
Jewish people.”
Signers of the letter include
Virginia State Senator Charles W. Carrico, Sr.; Delegates Dave LaRock, C.
Matthew Fariss, Mark L. Cole, Christopher E. Collins, Jason S. Miyares, H.
F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr., and L. Mark Dudenhefer; as well as Deborah Weiss, Esq., President,
Vigilance, Inc.; Becky Norton Dunlop, Former Director, White House Office
of Cabinet Affairs and Former Senior Official, U.S. Department of Justice; Allen
Roth, President, Secure America Now; Joel Anand Samy, Co-Founder, International
Leaders Summit; Natasha Srdoc, Co-Founder, International Leaders Summit; Rev.
Chris Edmonds, Founder, Roddie Edmonds Foundation;
and Sarah N. Stern, Founder and President, Endowment for Middle East Truth
(EMET)
View the legislators and leaders' letter to George Mason University President Dr. Ángel Cabrera here.
More supporting information:
2016-04-19 Congressional testimony of Jonathan Schanzer
2016 National Conference of Students for Justice in Palestine at George Mason University
Students For Justice In Palestine - A Hate Group
Response letter from George Mason University President Dr. Ángel Cabrera
News coverage:
Legislators and Leaders Oppose Hate Group Conference at GMU
Virginia Free Citizen October 26, 2016
Legislators and Leaders Oppose Hate Group Conference at GMU
The Bull Elephant - October 26, 2016 - Jeanine Martin
Delegate Dave LaRock's opposition to hate group conference at George Mason University
Legislators, pro-Israel orgs fight pro-BDS conference on Virginia campus
Jerusalem Post Israel News
The signatories of the letter also pointed out that the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate passed a resolution condemning the Boycott, Divestment …
Virginia Lawmaker: George Mason U Must Rescind Invitation to Host Conference by Anti-Israel, Antisemitic Student Group With ‘Well-Documented Ties to Hamas’
The Algemeiner NOVEMBER 1, 2016 1:02 PM by Lea Speyer
George Mason University (GMU) must immediately rescind its invitation to host an upcoming conference held by a student group with “well-documented ties to Hamas and other terrorist organizations,” a Virginia lawmaker told The Algemeiner on Monday, explaining the impetus for his demand that the school, which he said has a “track record of antisemitism,” cancel the event.