Anti-Israel pro-BDS profs organizing Antifa campus network
The anti-Israel Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is notorious for campus violence and disruption directed at Israelis and pro-Israeli students and faculty.
We have featured dozens of incidents of shout-downs and disruptions of events, including physical acts of intimidation. Many of these incidents are discussed in our post, With campus shout downs, first they came for the Jews and Israel.
In an extremely dangerous development, anti-Israel pro-BDS faculty are organizing a nationwide campus Antifa network.
Inside Higher Ed reports, Campus Antifascist Network (h/t Cam Edwards on Twitter):
Given that college campuses have been central to activism by the so-called alt-right, is it time for a campus-based countermovement? Scholars behind the proposed Campus Antifascist Network, or CAN, think so.
“The election of Donald Trump has emboldened fascist and white nationalist groups nationwide, on campus and off, and their recent upsurge requires antifascists to take up the call to action once again,” reads an invitation to join the group, posted on social media this week by David Palumbo-Liu, the Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor and professor of comparative literature at Stanford University….
Network co-organizer Bill Mullen, a professor of American studies at Purdue University, on Wednesday called CAN a “big tent” that “welcomes anyone committed to fighting fascism.”
“We are diverse in our political points of view but unified by our fight against fascism,” he said. The idea is “to drive racists off campuses and to protect the most vulnerable from fascist attack.”
And of objections made by some that Trump is not a fascist? Palumbo-Liu said that is “literally an academic argument in the worst sense of the word. We need to pay attention to what is happening, not the labels that we feel are most fitting.” ….
Since Charlottesville, the network has jumped to 200 members and 1,000 followers on its Facebook page, Mullen said. Antifascist branches are being formed on campuses and the group is preparing teach-ins and self-defense materials for faculty and students who may meet with white supremacist protesters.
The network has been endorsed by writers Junot Díaz and Viet Nguyen, as well as graduate student unions. In addition to faculty members, graduate students and some undergraduates have joined.
According to the Inside Higher Ed article, they claim they are not seeking violence, but the wording of their responses is ambiguous:
Mullen said CAN’s approach to protests will be to protect those most vulnerable to attack and “to build large, unified demonstrations against fascists on campuses when they come.”
Asked specifically about the possible use of violence, Palumbo-Liu said antifa activists include those whose tactics CAN would reject. “We would advocate self-defense and defense in various forms of those who are being threatened by fascists, but not violence,” he added, saying his group can’t control the antifa label or who ascribes to it.
Palumbo-Liu and Mullen, the organizers of the campus Antifa network, are two of the most aggressive anti-Israel pro-BDS faculty members in the country. They each have long histories of demonizing Israel and supporting the academic boycott of Israel.
Palumbo-Liu , who was once dubbed Stanford’s Most Radical Professor , was featured in a post we did about the dangerous blockade of the San Mateo Bridge by anti-Israel protesters, Anti-Israel activists caused car crashes on San Mateo Bridge.
http://legalinsurrection.com/2017/08/anti-israel-profs-organizing-antifa-campus-network/
Mullen also is one of the most aggressive BDS faculty activists, well known for his BDS activities at Purdue.
This fits a pattern of anti-Israel activists co-opting and hijacking other movements, something we explored in If you are surprised #BlackLivesMatter joined war on Israel, you haven’t been paying attention.
Under the leadership of anti-Israel, pro-BDS faculty, expect the campus Antifa network to be re-directed against Israel, Israelis and Jews. We’ve seen this in Chicago, where Jewish symbols were banned at an LGBT event, and Jewish LGBT groups have been attacked .
Yesterday, before learning of this campus Antifa network, I warned that I expect violence on campuses this semester.
Not long ago on another article I warned about this happening:
I was pooh-poohed about it.
Not long ago on another article I warned about this happening:
I'm sorry, I never saw it. This tracking and following articles here is harder than Newsvine was.
I was pooh-poohed about it
Because violent, Jewish hating people who are dressed in black, wearing masks, are the good guys now?
Scratches his head, looks down at the floor, mumbles to self. I'm just not buying that!!!
For every reaction, there is an equal an opposite reaction. A basic tenent in physics.
Yes this is happening on some California campuses. Yes BDS and BLM and even a bit of OWS are joining forces to try integrate with Antifa. Obviously, the uptick is reactionary to what happened this past week. Ironically, it has them on flip sides of the same coin.
But the extent to which this is happening on our campuses is overly exaggerated at this point. That is not to say, that we shouldn't be concerned about the far lefts activities in gaining numbers, but no more concerned than the uptick in the far right's numbers either.
The far right didn't pick Charlottesville by accident. They picked it because it's the home of UVA. They picked it to recruit and to engage. They didn't deny this and indirectly, they are also feeding into groups leaders of Antifa, and those kids will just think they are going after the fascists while they are being slowly indoctrinated.
So tell me, how can you have a discussion about one, without having a discussion about the other?
My kids who were at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore which was ground zero of the BLM movement didn't experience it. And now they are on two different college campus and still haven't experience it. And yes I think it is exaggerated but I also think that if these kinds of confrontations go on too long, there is a bigger threat of it becoming a reality.
If Americans decide to fight fascism with fascist techniques, then they will become the very thing they want to stop.
I agree. I don't support either. But physics can't be denied. Stop one, stop the other.
This is a little off topic, but it's bugging me how many things I read, not just here, but everywhere in comments by people who use the name 'Charlotte' instead of 'Charlottesville'. I wonder if these people even know which city this atrocity happened in.
Replying to your comment Perrie....
This whole Antifa thing is orchestrated by those who want to destroy this country. These people don't just wake up one day and decide we're going after the Confederate Statues on their own. This is being driven by the Cultural Marxists of our time and has been for some time.
This KKK uprising is a reaction to this orchestrated agenda. So I assume you mean we need to stop these Antifa's before it becomes clear they are the real Fascists who can be effective in their agenda and the real resistance will fade as well at that time.
They are feeding each other and in this part of the country we don't take too kindly to those people who don't know us and who have plenty of problems of their own to be concerned with to spend their time trying to erase our history.
We don't support the KKK, but Hillary Clinton told the Antifa types the time for talking was over and now it is time for action. People like her are behind this with Soros money paying the way. Trump and the Republicans didn't hire people to disrupt her campaigns as far as we know, but we know people tied to the Democrat Party did hire people to disrupt his campaign.
This is a little off topic, but it's bugging me how many things I read, not just here, but everywhere in comments by people who use the name 'Charlotte' instead of 'Charlottesville'. I wonder if these people even know which city this atrocity happened in.
I knew. My kids applied to UVA. They liked the charm of the city. Instead, they ended up in Charm City, LOL.
This whole Antifa thing is orchestrated by those who want to destroy this country. These people don't just wake up one day and decide we're going after the Confederate Statues on their own. This is being driven by the Cultural Marxists of our time and has been for some time.
I would buy that, if this was really about the statutes. Yet, at the evening's event the night before, if he white supremacists were not saying 'Save our statues" or "Save our Culture", but rather they were chanting "Jews will not replace us". What does that have to do Statues?
They are feeding each other and in this part of the country we don't take too kindly to those people who don't know us and who have plenty of problems of their own to be concerned with to spend their time trying to erase our history.
I'm not trying to erase your history. I don't think we should destroy these statues. I also don't think that they should glorify town squares. I think they belong in museums where people will never forget what almost tore this country apart.
We don't support the KKK, but Hillary Clinton told the Antifa types the time for talking was over and now it is time for action. People like her are behind this with Soros money paying the way. Trump and the Republicans didn't hire people to disrupt her campaigns as far as we know, but we know people tied to the Democrat Party did hire people to disrupt his campaign.
Obviously most good people don't support the KKK, Neo Nazis and other white supremacists. I heard your audio file of what Ms. Clinton said and in no way did she mean join Antifa and I am no fan of Ms. Clinton. And the rest of your post is a political soapbox and I don't do those.
Hear, hear, Perrie. There is such a force to normalize racism it's frightening !!!!
My kids applied to UVA. They liked the charm of the city
I went to the University of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill. In some ways C-Ville (that's what the residents call Charlottesville) reminded me of Chapel Hill, Both very quaint college towns.
At the time, Chapel hill had a campus with very YUGE old trees. Ivy covered dorms and other building some of which dated backed to 1795 or so. Brick walks. Except for the Library, the tallest campus buildings were 2 and sometimes three stories tall. In the spring there was the sweet smell of Honeysuckle-- and brilliant flash of colour of Azaleas and other flowers in bloom. Quaint little shoppes on the small main St. Small cafes and other student hangouts just reeking with atmosphere.
But then, just as with C-Ville, the Klan decided to march into town! Just the actual KKK-- no other groups. (This was in 1963 or 64 during the Civil Rights era. For some time we had marches down the main street every night, and sit-in etc). I was heavily involved, and at one point I had a run in with the Grand Dragon of the N.C. KKK. (He wasn't wearing a sheet at the time-- I didn't know who he was 'till later). I was lucky-- in retrospect I could've ended up like Cheney, Goodman, and Schwerner!
63-64 I was still in elementary school. I've never seen a person dressed up in a Klan outfit other than on TV. Maybe because my parents didn't carry us anywhere near anything like that. Things have changed over the last few years in Charlotte. It has become a crime ridden city in my opinion. I do remember seeing a Civil Rights March in Fayetteville one time. I'm glad my Father never got involved in anything like the Klan. He worked too much to have the time to do much of anything except we always went somewhere when vacation time rolled around.
I didn't even finish reading your comment Perrie, but I will after I type this one.
This Kessler fellow is a phony. I'd never heard of him before and I bet you hadn't either. Something smells about this whole thing with this Kessler fellow. He was involved in OWS and supported Obama in the past. This doesn't sound like a white nationalist type. Read some about him.
He's a nut who craves attention and it hasn't been that long he has even been involved in this movement. Then he has all those other nuts who are racists as Pat says who are too dumb to think for themselves just waiting for someone to lead the way and this is his opportunity to get that attention, good or bad, doesn't matter as long as he's getting it.
Here's just one article about him.
Jason Kessler
...Rumors abound on white nationalist forums that Kessler’s ideological pedigree before 2016 was less than pure and seem to point to involvement in the Occupy movement and past support for President Obama.
At one recent speech in favor of Charlottesville’s status as a sanctuary city, Kessler live-streamed himself as an attendee questioned him and apologized for an undisclosed spat during Kessler’s apparent involvement with Occupy. Kessler appeared visibly perturbed by the woman’s presence and reminders of their past association...
Now to your comment.... It's a good thing Trump didn't say the same thing Hillary Clinton said to any group of people because the media would twist it into something it wasn't.
Obviously most good people don't support the KKK, Neo Nazis and other white supremacists. I heard your audio file of what Ms. Clinton said and in no way did she mean join Antifa and I am no fan of Ms. Clinton. And the rest of your post is a political soapbox and I don't do those.
Noticed you didn't say most good people don't support Antifa, people who throw rocks, bottles, carry bats, destroy things and hurt people. I have no doubt the Socialist Democratic Party of America and their fringe groups will take Trump down. With all of Hillary's attorney's and donors having a free for all no one could survive that, least of all Hillary Clinton, if the tables were turned around.
This is a little off topic, but it's bugging me how many things I read, not just here, but everywhere in comments by people who use the name 'Charlotte' instead of 'Charlottesville'.
Well I'm not too surprised-- there are many people not too familiar with 2 cities of importance in adjoining states-- and cities with somewhat similar names>
1. Charlotte N.C. is a big city-- one of the biggest in the South. It has the feel of a big city. It's also has some major U.S. banks, some importing sporting events,NASCAR, etc.I believe its fairly moderate politically. My cousin moved there, I was there only once, for her wedding. (She said she felt to her like it was in the heart of the "Bible belt"-- I don't know if that's true. But her politics are very left leaning).
2, Charlottesville Virginia: One of my best friends moved there and lived there for a few years-- I visited her a few times. (I also used to live on a Yoga Ashram in rural Virginia-- the best way to get there was via C-Ville (& then a 1 hr drive on rural roads).
When I visited C-Ville it had the feel of a quaint college town. Its dominated by the Univ of VA. Jefferson's home Monticello is also there (He designed some interesting mechanical devices that are there).
Its a about a 2 hr drive to Washington D.C. , and several people I've known in the D.C. area have some sort of connection to something or other in C-Ville and drive back and forth.
I used to live on a Yoga Ashram in rural Virginia.
Yogaville-- deep in the woods in "the middle of nowhere" (C-ville is in Albemarle county, which I believe is one of the wealthiest counties in Virginia, Yogaville is an a bordering county (Buckingham) which may be one of the poorest-- Yogaville is an hour drive from C-Ville.
Aside from the Ashram, Buckingham co. mostly woods and trailer homes.
The Lotus Shrine:
Yogis don't have the sort of religious services that western religions have. There is the practice of asanas (postures) of course, but the main part of the Yoga path is silent Meditation-- either alone or in a silent group meditation, usually lasting about 1/2 hr.
Swami Satchidananda on stage at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, 1969 – Aug 15. Opened the Woodstock Music and Peace Festival and leads first mass Kirtan in U.S.
1970: Carole King meets Swami Satchidananda and she becomes an Integral Yoga teacher; she writes “You Light Up My Life” in his honor.
More of his many accomplishments.