A professor at the University of California, Irvine has pointed out the double standards of the university’s ‘Academic Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion’ committee in criticising Milo Yiannopoulos whilst doing nothing to oppose a planned “Anti-Zionism” week.
Last week, the University’s office of “Diversity and Inclusion” sent out an email to students criticising the “offensive language” contained in signs used to advertise Yiannopoulos’ talk, and condemned the “bigotry” and “homophobia” of the Breitbart Tech editor.
The email was sent by the office’s Vice Provost, Dr. Douglas Haynes. In addition to condemning Milo and the promotional posters, he also suggested that sudents undergo “safe zone training” in preparation for his visit.
In response, Gary Fouse, an English teacher, wrote a letter to Dr. Douglas Haynes, Vice Provost of Academic Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, questioning his approach to Yiannopoulos’ visit. Fouse pointed out that whilst the university has openly expressed support for the its LGBT community in light of Milo Yiannopoulos’s upcoming talk, the university has not even commented upon a planned “Anti-Zionism” week by the university’s Muslim Student Union.
The “Anti-Zionism” week, run by the college’s Muslim Student Union, was a week that consisted of events in protesting the existence of the state of Israel, deliberately designed to overlap with Holocaust Remembrance Day. Unlike Yiannopoulos’ visit, there was no condemnation of “bigotry.” Nor was there any “safe zone” training for Jewish students.
“I understand that [Yiannopoulos] is a gay conservative who mocks political correctness, and that some of his act is considered offensive to other gays.” Fouse wrote in his letter.
“However, as a Gentile who for several years has been closely involved in observing rising anti-Semitism not only at UCI, but on other UC campuses, I ask why Jewish students do not get this kind of concern when, year after year, these anti-Israel events come to our campus,” he continued.
He added that the “Anti-Zionism” week involved depictions of Jews “sitting on an apartheid wall” in addition to the use of “threatening images and messages” related to Israel.
According to Shirelle Chalamish, an Executive Board member of Student Supporting Israel, this years anti-Israel proceedings involved students screaming things such as “f*** white people,” “free Palestine,” and “white people go back to Europe.”
“As a member of SSI, we went to the Vice Chancellor to talk about security, and we talked about Anti-Zionism Week, and he said at the end of the day it was free speech,” Chalamish told Campus Reform. “It definitely upset the Jewish community to see Holocaust imagery used against the state of Israel, and like Prof. Fouse said, nobody really talks about that.”
Fouse also hit out at the double standards of campus identity politics in general. “In academia, it all depends on who the affected group is. If they are Jews, it’s no big deal.”
The furore surrounding upcoming event is set to be just one of many controversies surrounding Milo Yiannopoulos on his riotous “Dangerous Faggot Tour.”
You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at ben@yiannopoulos.net
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