UCT pushed for answers after terror talk on campus

It’s been a month since the University of Cape Town (UCT) allowed members of terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) to address students on campus on 20 March, yet the university still hasn’t taken any action or condemned this promotion of hate.

The event, hosted by the Palestinian Solidarity Forum (PSF) during the hate-fest known as “Israeli Apartheid Week” (IAW) made Jewish students feel “unsafe, threatened, targeted, and ostracised”, in the words of South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) Western Cape Chairperson Erin Dodo.

Both the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) have engaged with the university on the issue. SAZF spokesperson Rolene Marks stated the situation plainly on 5 April, saying that it was “unconscionable that an institution like UCT would remain silent following messages from Islamist extremists. No Jewish student can feel safe on a campus where fellow students would support and promote such hate speech, discrimination, and racism towards those of the Jewish faith.”

The SAZF has therefore filed a request for the incident to be investigated by the Office for Inclusivity and Change (OIC) at UCT. According to its website, the OIC was established to “build, develop, and foster an environment where everyone feels included and change is respected, encouraged, and celebrated”.

Marks said that the OIC initially communicated that it planned to meet the department of student affairs to discuss the SAZF’s concerns, but was unable to provide any feedback regarding whether the meeting had in fact taken place.

“UCT’s failure to condemn these actions and investigate the PSF for inciting hate speech will result in further action from the SAZF. The continued abuse of Jewish human rights cannot – and must not – be tolerated at UCT or any other institution in South Africa,” Marks said.

“Hamas and PIJ are internationally recognised terror organisations whose foundational charters espouse violence against Jews around the world. Members of the student body and PSF shamelessly hung Hezbollah and Hamas flags with images of military grade rifles on them in the Leslie Commerce Building at UCT.

“This intolerable act threatens the very foundation of South Africa’s Constitution, which enshrines the protection of the human rights of all its citizens. The fact that UCT has failed to condemn the PSF for hosting representatives from Hamas is a grave affront to our democratic norms, when the Hamas Charter clearly calls for the killing of Jews.”

Marks noted that “our universities should be places of rational debate and inclusive engagement, not hostile environments which encourage the dissemination of propaganda from extremist organisations such as Hamas. Places of learning in South Africa must be clear about the dangers of incitement and hosting speakers who would call for the discrimination, annihilation, and destruction of Jewish people as a result of their beliefs.

“Supporters of BDS [the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions organisation] have been convicted by the South African Human Rights Commission for antisemitism in previous years. This behaviour, without condemnation, can result only in further human rights violations in future. South African citizens should condemn the PSF for encouraging the discriminatory, racist, and extremist political ideologies of Hamas and the oppressive regime of Iran on South African campuses. These groups pose a serious threat to the human rights of women and members of the LGBTQIA+ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual] community as well.

“We urge members of the public to join us in condemning this behaviour without reservation. UCT shouldn’t delay in doing the same. The SAZF will consider further legal action should the PSF not be held to account for its actions in this regard.”

On 17 April, SAZF National Chairperson Rowan Polovin told the SA Jewish Report that “the SAZF has submitted a formal request for investigation into the extremism and spaces of hate that UCT wilfully allowed on its campus by the PSF last month. UCT must take public responsibility for allowing spaces for terrorist organisations that openly call for the destruction of the Jewish state and regularly spew antisemitic venom to address students. We continue to demand that UCT publicly condemn acts of extremism and hate taking place under its watch.”

Meanwhile, Cape SAJBD Executive Director Daniel Bloch said, “We had a constructive meeting with UCT [on 5 April]. It will be conducting its own debrief of IAW with the different student bodies, as well as investigating our concerns raised in both our letter to them and the media statement.”

At the time, Cape SAJBD Chairperson Adrienne Jacobson said, “The SAJBD finds it bewildering that UCT has so palpably failed to stand by its statement of values in which a firm commitment is made to build an equitable social order based on respect for human rights. Students look to UCT to provide platforms for engagement in meaningful, respectful discussions, free of discrimination, persecution, or hate. SAUJS and PSF had agreed to rules of engagement, which UCT neglected to enforce and allowed the PSF to breach.”

Says Bloch, “They have asked for time, and we have agreed that we won’t make any further comments until they have concluded their own internal processes. We did agree to speak again towards the end of April. We are on the same page insofar that universities provide safe spaces for all students.”

Says Dodo, “For now, students don’t feel a threat on campus as IAW has passed, but I do very carefully monitor everything.” She was present at the meeting between the Cape SAJBD and the university.

In response to questions from the SA Jewish Report, university spokesperson Elijah Moholola said, “UCT has ongoing engagements with the concerned internal structures as well as the relevant external stakeholders around this matter. UCT wishes to allow space for these conversations to continue and as such the university will not comment further at this stage.”

The SA Jewish Report approached the OIC for feedback, but was told to refer to Moholola’s statement.