Posted on 08/26/2003 12:46:53 AM PDT by kattracks
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A national pro-Palestinian student conference planned for Rutgers University this fall will now be held Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway — if the event remains in New Jersey.University officials, who are providing space for the National Student Conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement's forum, decided earlier this month to move the event from the Douglass College student center. It's scheduled to be held on Oct. 10-12.
Officials, who expect several pro-Israel groups to stage protests during the conference, said the move was made to address security and crowd concerns. However, members of New Jersey Solidarity — the student group organizing the forum — said they strongly object to the switch.
"We'll hold the conference in the park before we'll hold it in the (athletic center)," Charlotte Kates, a Rutgers law student, told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Tuesday's editions. "It's in the middle of nowhere in Livingston. It's completely inaccessible ... I think they're trying to make (the conference) invisible."
Emmet Dennis, Rutgers' vice president for student affairs, denied the allegation, saying the change was made to accommodate, not deter, the rights of supporters and opponents to state their views.
The change comes as the student group's local and national leaders continued to battle over whether the forum planned for Oct. 10-12 should remain in New Jersey or be moved to Ohio State University.
Fatima Ayub, a spokeswoman for the group's national organizing committee, said its 44 members voted to change the venue because of concerns about the New Jersey chapter's "capability to host this year's conference successfully." Kates, though, said the event would be held in New Jersey as planned, but declined further comment.
Shannon Wingard, an Ohio State spokeswoman, said the school was aware that one of its student groups had extended an invitation to host the forum, but said no firm plans have been set.
Ayub said the committee's decision had nothing to do with the dozens of complaints Rutgers officials received from critics who wanted to cancel the event or move it to an off-campus site. The forum will include sessions on how students can pressure their schools to stop investing in companies that do business with Israel, as well as cultural events and rallies to support the formation of an independent Palestinian homeland.
The university's decision prompted a review by Gov. James E. McGreevey, but he chose not to intervene, saying the group was entitled to exercise its right to free speech.
But not anywhere they want.
Maybe they will be suggesting that martyr's for Allah blow themselves up along with the wives and children of the School Administration. After all, that's the kind of pressure that this group supports in the middle east.
(This group's leaders have specifically stated that they do not dismiss the use of any tactic as a tool for achieving their goals including the violence currently practiced by palestinian groups.) - Charlotte Kates on 770 WABC Radio NY, Sunday July 13, roughly 10AM.
"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism." --- PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein on March 31, 1977
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.