Posted on 11/16/2017 7:03:18 AM PST by MarvinStinson
Students at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (UM) have attributed the first-ever passage of an anti-Israel divestment resolution through the central student government (CSG) to a changed political environment on campus in the year since the presidential elections.
"Since Trump, students are more politically aware than ever, and they are more willing to be active in situations where they are not personally affected. They are rooting for the underdog and don't want to be seen as the bad guys who are impeding progress on very real issues of racism, bigotry, violence, oppression, and abuse," said Allison Taylor, a culture writer for the student newspaper, the Michigan Daily, about how a coalition dubbed UM Divest finally succeeded in its 15-year effort to get a favorable vote on a divestment motion.
The vote of 23 for, 17 against with five abstentions came after an eight-hour meeting that ran until 3 a.m. local time Wednesday, the longest ever meeting of the CSG.
Multiple speakers debated whether to recommend the Board of Regents create an ad hoc committee to "investigate the ethical and moral implications of our investments in the corporations Boeing, HP, and United Technologies, which are involved in humans rights violations against the Palestinian people according to international law," as the resolution demands.
This was the first of 11 divestment campaigns led by the pro-Palestinian group Students Allied for Freedom and Safety (SAFE) since 2002 to succeed. Unlike years past, this time the vote was taken by a secret ballot.
None of the students who spoke with the Washington Free Beacon believed the resolution would impact UM's financial realities, or that students will start giving up their Hewlett-Packard laptops, but some said it might still do serious damage to the university's climate.
UM student Sarit Mafouda, an intern with pro-Israel organization, the David Project, called the resolution anti-Semitic, citing its connections to the "broader BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement."
"There are numerous instances in which BDS leaders have called for the demolition of Israel and the end goal to replace Israel with a Palestinian state," said Mafouda.
In one popular example, BDS activists often chant, "From the [Jordan] river, to the [Mediterranean] sea, Palestine will be free."
Mafouda also rejected SAFE's contention that the resolution does not call to "divest from Israel," noting that Israel is mentioned 18 times in the document.
SAFE and its partners have celebrated on social media, announcing, "We made history," and writing, "The struggle is not over."
SAFE told the Free Beacon, "we fully reject" any argument that frames the resolution as anti-Semitic.
"Highlighting ones struggle is not an attack on an identity, and is offensive to be framed in such a way," said SAFE, which insisted on speaking anonymously and as a group, because of "real safety concerns."
Kim Broekhuizen, a UM spokesperson, told the Free Beacon that "the university's longstanding policy is to shield the endowment from political pressures and to base our investment decisions solely on financial factors such as risk and return."
"We do not anticipate a change in this approach or the creation of a committee," Broekhuizen said.
Anti-semites.
I guess there is no “Fear of the Lord” with this bunch.
>Sick! (How in hell could 18 year olds be SO tragically misinformed?)
Sorry, FRiend, but you have to ask *THAT* question??
100 yrs of govt indoctrination, collusion/take-over by the NEA\unions, minimize/drop Civics/History/Current Events/Economics (hell, any/all *ACTUAL* knowledge), rote memorization vs. critical thinking
Then, add in taxpayer-funded colleges, tenured Communist ‘professors’, sense of entitlement and the need to ‘fit in’ while being plugged into the ‘net 24/7
All the while the (R)NC poo-pooed anyone raising flag(s) and the sheeple’s belief of, “It’s not MY school/elected that’s the ‘problem’, it’s YOURS...”
their heads, and therefore also their lives (at least the kids at UMich) are being screwed up badly for them
What if “Israel” were changed to “Africa” or any other that hated whitey and Christians?
Hail to those Mother F***ers
Hail to those Old C*** Suckers
Hail, Hail to Michigan
Cesspool of the West
Hail to the Agitators
Hail to the Masturbators
Hail, Hail to Michigan
Cesspool of the Land
S.720 115th Congress (2017-2018)
Someone could file a suit that the school's boycott has made itself ineligible to receive govt. funds. ... Interesting
That law is disgusting and un-Constitutional. Americans have an absolute right to boycott any foreign country as they see fit.
“”Rooting for the underdog? If there is an underdog in that area -it is Israel!””
When I reached that point, I had to stop and go back to the beginning to see if I read it wrong...nope - that’s exactly what it said anti-Israel.... Why do parents even waste their money sending these idiots to college?
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