SPME President Richard Cravatts letter to the President of NUI Galway

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Ireland-BDS

As the speaker was at the podium, the pro-Palestinian student stood, gesticulated combinations of: “Get the f*** off our campus now!” and “Get off the f***ing campus!”

Dear Dr. Browne:

Perhaps you’ve already been made aware of the recent behavior of one of NUI Galway’s students, Joseph Loughnane, at an anti-boycott meeting on your campus on March 5th.

While we all welcome a lively, even vigorous exchange of ideas and opinions on campus on matters of international importance, the idea that one group of speakers can shut down all dialogue, and very coarsely and violently at that, and claim to speak for the entire university by demanding that those with other opinions leave the campus altogether, is, I’m sure you’d agree, not only outrageous, but antithetical to what a university should represent and stand for.

The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is a difficult issue and inspires enormous differences of opinions on both sides. Mr. Loughnane may feel he has the only and totally correct view of the situation, but the notion that his opinion is so valid that those with differing views cannot even be present in your academic community–let alone speak their views–is alarming and degrades the idea of the university.

In the United States, academic free speech generally allows anyone on campus to express themselves freely, regardless of how outrageous and incorrect their view may be. But academic free speech, as you know, does not empower someone to shut down another’s right to free speech, either by the “heckler’s veto” or by making impossible for the other person to be heard because they have been physically excluded from the discussion.

Mr. Loungnane claims he’s been on campus for 10 years now, and perhaps it’s time that he learned the important lesson about what free speech means and how it has to be shared with all members of the academic community. I would hope that, as President, you will make clear what values and standards regarding free speech ought to be maintained at your institution.

 

Thanks so much for your time,

Richard Cravatts
President
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East

SPME President Richard Cravatts letter to the President of NUI Galway

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