Thread by @NudderingNudnik

A longish thread on publicly funded antisemitism.

A Festival of Debate @FestofDebate is taking place in Sheffield.Festival events include discussions/explorations/polemics on a range of subjects including
* •Adoption
* •Climate change
* •Mental health
* •The ethics of profit

Speakers range from internationally high profile voices to local grassroots activists.
The festival is funded by sponsors & partners including these publicly funded educational bodies:
* @sheffielduni
* @sheffhallamuni
* @SheffCouncil
* @SheffieldSU

What’s not to like?

Well, of all the many events over 2 months, how many specific countries/conflicts are covered?
Go on, guess.
Yes, just one.
Which one?
Drum roll please.
Yes, it is Israel and the Israel/Palestine conflict.

How many events on this?
6.

So – 1 country is the subject of focus and it has no less than 6 events dedicated to it.

Ok – it’s a Festival of debate, so the events will all be debates?
Well, no.

4 showings of the highly partisan and controversial play “My Name is Rachel Corrie” and 4 “panel discussions” afterwards. Then 2 more events about Israel just to make sure the people of Sheffield get the message.

Panellists listed included Ben White. Ben has said that:
* Israel exploits the Holocaust
* A 2 state solution is “rubber-stamping ethnic cleansing and guaranteeing Jewish privilege”
* There is "bias and subservience to the Israeli cause in the Western media.’

* And famously Ben said that he is not “unpleasant towards Jews but can understand why others are”.
Another panellist Abdi-Aziz Suleiman has appeared on Iranian state-run Press TV and has ranted against “ Zionists”

Suleiman once said “don’t bother to debate with dedicated Zionists” .
Which must obviously make him the go-to guy for a Festival of Debate.

Another panellist is the Chair of Sheffield Stop the War. Anyone in doubt about the obsessive antisemitism of STW can check out
therealstopthewar.wordpress.com
No Israeli participants or pro-Israel or Jewish voices were on any panels to “debate” at the Festival of Debate @FestOfDebate

So a local Jewish woman wrote to @FestOfDebate to ask why there were no less than 6 events on Israel and why such highly inappropriate speakers were appearing.

The festival staff were polite but dismissive.

In response to being told that the hostile makeup of the panels and the nature of the events made it impossible for Jews to feel able to contribute to the “debate”, the local Jewish woman was told that she could "submit questions or discussion points via an anonymous email."

The local Jewish woman persisted and eventually, to her utter surprise @FestofDebate announced that 2 of the events were to be cancelled in response to her complaint. Ben White, Abdi-Aziz Suleiman & the STW spokesperson would NOT be appearing after all because the organisers ...

...now accepted that the events “do not give a balanced perspective of the key issues surrounding the Israeli/Palestine conflict “

So what happened next?

Go on – guess.

Yep – the “cancelled” panel discussion on Friday went ahead as planned. The only change was that an Israeli musician also took part in the “debate”. Not a campaigner, an expert, an academic. Nope – a musician who happened to be taking part in another event.

Clearly, the festival of debate @FestOfDebate simply lied to the local Jewish woman.
First told she could participate in the debate via anonymous email because the nature of the event was so intrinsically hostile (how very thoughtful) and then finally she was simply lied to.

The concerned Sheffield Jewish woman was treated with utter contempt. As we all have been.
Publicly funded contempt.

This is an example of how the irrational and obsessive hatred of Israel, “Zionism” and ultimately the 90% plus Jews for whom Israel, Zionism and their Jewishness are inextricably linked is deeply embedded and publicly funded.

And how the concerns, anxieties and fears of British Jews are treated with utter contempt and met with lies.

Ends.

Postscript - here's the event that didn't take place taking place.
@FestOfDebate

Please tweet at @FestOfDebate @sheffhallamuni @sheffielduni @SheffieldSU @CohesionSheff and @learnsheffield asking them to explain why this has happened and seeking a full apology.