Azzam Tamimi has also said the Shoah was “being exploited by those now commencing a Holocaust against the Palestinians"
March 19, 2019 10:41
The Union of Jewish Students is “deeply disturbed” an academic who defended Hamas, described how he “longs to be a martyr” and said the Shoah was “being exploited by those now commencing a Holocaust against the Palestinians” is to speak at a British university this evening.
Dr Azzam Tamimi is one of the advertised speakers at an event titled “Palestine: A question of morality”, to be hosted on the UCL campus by its Friends of Palestine Society and City University's Palsoc on Tuesday night.
In a 2010 lecture at the School of Oriental and African Studies, the Palestinian academic told students: “Today Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation because that’s what the Americans and Israelis and cowardly politicians of Europe want, but what is so terrorist about it?
“You shouldn’t be afraid of being labelled extreme, radical or terrorist. If fighting for your home land is terrorism, I take pride in being a terrorist. The Koran tells me if I die for my homeland I’m a martyr and I long to be a martyr.”
He has also advocated the destruction of Israel, urging people “to eradicate this cancer from the body of humanity”.
At a January 2009 event held by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, ostensibly relating to Holocaust Memorial Day, Dr Tamimi said: “We do not deny the Holocaust, we do not even oppose the memorial of the Holocaust.
"All we want is for the Holocaust not to be exploited by those who are today commencing a Holocaust against the Palestinians.”
He then quoted the notorious anti-Zionist academic, Norman Finkelstein, describing how there has been “an industry to exploit the Holocaust and the suffering of the people in the Holocaust in order to serve Zionism”, before going on to say “I as a Muslim cannot be anti-Jewish, I cannot be an antisemite because I am a semite myself.”
Daniel Kosky, campaigns organiser for UJS, condemned "the hateful and violent language Azam Tamimi has spewed at rallies and events, including at previous university events".
He told the JC Dr Tamimi was “a speaker who has a history of inciting hatred against Jewish People and the State of Israel”.
He said UJS had “sought to have UCL review whether it is suitable to allow someone who in our view incites hatred to be given a platform”, but was “disappointed that this platform is being offered.”
The UCL Friends of Israel Society said it was “deeply concerned” about the event.
It added that, when asked to condemn Hamas targetting civilians at Queen Mary's University in 2012, Dr Tamimi responded: "We are not in a court. I do not have to answer you."
The group said that, in January, the UCL Friends of Palestine posted on Facebook that “no member of Hamas, nor any unapologetic member of any militant group of any army has ever been platformed by our society and we will continue to stand by this in the future".
“In inviting Dr Tamimi to UCL (for the second time..), the Friends of Palestine Society has betrayed this value," the Friends of Israel group said.
“Free speech is a core value at UCL and one which we as a society uphold and respect, but a line must be drawn when it descends into hate speech.
"It is therefore of grave concern to us that someone who targets a national group and who incites others to commit crimes, has been granted the liberty to promote these views.”
A spokesperson for UCL said the university "views the right to debate and challenge ideas as fundamental to the nature of a university, and is committed to ensuring that free and open discussion can take place in an atmosphere of tolerance for different viewpoints."
A spokesperson for the UCL student union said: “In the case of events that include speakers whose previous statements raise concerns, measures to manage that risk are implemented, including requiring speakers to give written guarantees about the content of the event and putting in place an experienced independent chair."
The union added that it had in the case of this event provided such an independent chair, "who will ensure the event is conducted in an open and constructive atmosphere and will provide an opportunity for a Q&A.”
