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| Nobel laureate cancels U.K. trip over 'widespread anti-Israel, anti-Semitic current' |
| 2007-05-24 |
| An American Nobel prize laureate has withdrawn from a speaking engagement at a London university, citing anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment in the United Kingdom, a British newspaper reported Thursday. According to The Guardian, Professor Steven Weinberg of the University of Texas told the Imperial College that his decision was motivated by a move by Britain's National Union of Journalists to boycott Israeli products. Weinberg had been due to honor Pakistani physicist Abdus Salam, a co-winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize for physics, The Guardian said. The paper quoted Weinberg as telling the college that he believes the NUJ's move stems from the "desire to pander to the growing Muslim minority in Britain." In his letter of withdrawal, Weinberg wrote that, "given the history of the attacks on Israel and the oppressiveness and aggressiveness of other countries in the Middle East and elsewhere, boycotting Israel indicated a moral blindness for which it is hard to find any explanation other than anti-Semitism." The Guardian said that Weinberg also pulled out of a 2006 conference at Durham University due to a boycott of Israeli academics imposed by lecturers' union NATFHE. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #8 Britain's National Union of Journalists to boycott Israeli products Am I missing something? Aren't journalists supposed to be nonpartisan? |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2007-05-24 21:46 |
| #7 The only thing that surprises me is that the National Union of Journalists did not choose to give the award to |
| Posted by: Grumenk Philalzabod0723 2007-05-24 19:18 |
| #6 Britain's National Union of Journalists to boycott Israeli products. The tyranny of the leftish press is similar as in the U.S.. Hypocritical bastards. Pretend to be compassionate and caring but really don't give a damn. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-05-24 16:46 |
| #5 i also think this is largely the work of a small band within academia, journalism and other parts of the 'elite'. Im not sure its even the majority in those groups, given the ability of a motivated minority to manipulate an organization on an issue peripheral to its mission. Kudos to Prof. Weinberg, though. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2007-05-24 14:38 |
| #4 I don't know Moose, tell me, is there anyone in the German history like Cromwell who let the Jews come out in public, build their own temple, and establish their own cemetery even in the face of the usual domestic opposition? I notice that even with the Restoration, that policy wasn't revoked. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-05-24 14:32 |
| #3 This is idiotic. There are many kinds of antisemitism and only a few ones want the extermaination of Jews, new born included. Some of the Polish people who have been declared "Justs of the Nations" for their actions during the Holocaust were antisemitic and embers of a party who wanted to expel Jews from Polaand. They risked or gave their lives for people they didn't like but their consciences didn't allow them to let those people they disliked being gassed. Traditionsl British antisemitism had nothing in common with the kind of antisemitism of Nazis. I would be less categoric about the modern leftist inspired one who disguises itself in compassion for Palestinins (while ignoring Timor, Rwanda, pre 9/11 Afgahnistan, Sudan...) |
| Posted by: JFM 2007-05-24 14:29 |
| #2 I wonder when it will finally be noticed that the English are really no different than the Germans in their hatred of Jews. The only difference being that the Germans had a government at one point willing to express that hatred in action. Otherwise, an English version of Goebbels would have just as easy a job in calling for the persecution of the Jews as did the German original. In both cases, preaching to the choir. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-05-24 13:21 |
| #1 Brass. Sack. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2007-05-24 12:40 |