Alors qu’en France, la liberté d’expression a été réaffirmée comme un droit absolu ce lundi 7 janvier par le gouvernement et les médias, à l’occasion du rappel de l’attentat contre Charlie Hebdo, il ne faudrait pas qu’ils fassent parallèlement le contraire de ce qu’ils préconisent quand il s’agit d’Israël. Un appel international lancé par 155 universitaires et défenseurs des droits humains vient à point nommé affirmer qu’ils continueront à dire tout le mal qu’ils pensent de la politique israélienne.

"Les institutions universitaires doivent défendre la liberté d’expression et nous nous opposons à la campagne menée dans différents pays et consistant à réprimer celles et ceux qui défendent les droits des Palestiniens", déclare la Comité International pour la Paix, la Justice et la Dignité dans un appel signé par 155 personnalités.

Il appelle à soutenir cet appel en signant ici :
https://diy.rootsaction.org/petitions/academic-institutions-must-defend-free-speech?just_launched=true
Il s’élève notamment contre les attaques et licenciements récents d’universitaires tels que Marc Lamont Hill à Temple University (Philadelphie) aux USA, et Tim Anderson à l’Université de Sydney, en Australie.

Ils rappellent que d’autres universitaires comme Steven Salaita et Norman Finkelstein ont été victimes de ces attaques, et que des menaces similaires pèsent sur Hatem Bazian, Ahlam Muhtaseb, William Robinson, Rabab Abdulhadi, et d’autres.

Ils récusent l’exception que constitue la défense des droits des Palestiniens à la liberté d’expression.

"On peut critiquer librement, et y compris manquer de respect, quand il s’agit des gouvernements, religions, opinions politiques, etc, sauf quand il s’agit des actions et de la politique israéliennes. Ceux qui osent les critiquer deviennent la cible de campagnes généreusement financées et savamment orchestrées pour bâillonner et/ou les détruire eux et leurs carrières".

Signataires :

Abbas Ali, chair, Inminds Human Rights Group

Abbas Hamideh, Co-Founder, Al-Awda Palestine Right to Return Coalition

Abby Martin, journalist, former host, “The Empire Files”

Abe Hayeem, Architect, peace activist and founder member of Architects & Planners for Justice in Palestine

Adam Kossoff, University of Wolverhampton

Adrian Grima, poet, professor of Maltese literature

Ahlam Muhtaseb, Professor, University of California San Bernardino ; co-director, “1948 : Creation and Catastrophe”

Ajamu Baraka, Human rights defender, former Green Party Vice Presidential candidate

Alice Walker, author, novelist, Pulitzer Prize winner

Alicia Jrapko, US National Coordinator, International Committee for Peace

Alison Weir, founder, If Americans Knew ; author, “Against Our Better Judgment”

Amal Wahdan, Political and human rights activist

Amani Barakat, National Chair, Al-Awda Palestine Right to Return Coalition

Anat Matar, Tel Aviv University

Andrea Balduzzi, Researcher, Università di Genova, Italy (retired)

Anthony Gonzales, American Indian Movement – West

Anthony Hall, Editor-in-Chief, American Herald Tribune

Avi Shlaim, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford

Barbara Erickson, journalist and author

Ben Norton, journalist

Bernard Regan, St Mary’s University

Blake Alcott, ecological economist ; director of One Democratic State in Palestine (England) Limited

Brian Winston, University of Lincoln

Dr. Burhan Ghanayem, Retired, National Institutes of Health

Carlos Latuff, cartoonist

Carlos Prieto Del Campo, Editor, New Left Review (Spanish), Madrid

Charlotte Kates, International Coordinator, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

Cynthia McKinney, Former Member of US House of Representatives

Dan Kovalik, Labor and human rights attorney

Prof. Daniel Boyarin, University of California, Berkeley

David Heap, University of Western Ontario, Canada

David Klein, California State University, Northridge ; Organizing Collective, US
Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel

Debra Zimmerman, Executive Director, Women Make Movies

Derek Summerfield, Hon Sen Clin Lect, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience King’s College London

Diana Carminati, former associate professor in University of Turin, Italy

Diana Johnstone, Writer and commentator

Dina Matar, SOAS, UK

Dorothy Reik, President, Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains

Estee Chandler, Board Member, JVP

Eva Bartlett, journalist

Ewa Jasiewicz, activist

Francesco Orilia, UNIMC, Italy

Franco Camandona, MD, gynecologist, Italy

Gayle McLaughlin, former Mayor of Richmond, CA, USA

George Bisharat, Professor of law, UC Hastings College of the Law

George Galloway, Broadcaster, writer, former Member of Parliament

George Paizis, University College London, Honorary Research Fellow

Gerry Condon, President, Veterans for Peace

Ghada Karmi, Palestinian doctor, activist, academic and writer ; London

Glen Ford, executive editor, Black Agenda Report

Graham Dawson, University of Brighton, UK

Greg Dropkin, Liverpool Friends of Palestine

Hagit Borer, Queen Mary University of London

Hagop Kevorkian, Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature, Columbia
University New York

Haim Bresheeth, Professorial Research Associate, Faculty of Arts and Humanities School of Oriental and African Studies, UK

Hala Allabadi, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University New York

Hassan Fouda, Board Director, CNI and Tree of Life Educational Fund

Hatem Bazian, Co-founder and Professor of Islamic Law and Theology at Zaytuna College ; National Chair, American Muslims for Palestine

Herman De Ley, Emeritus Professor, University of Ghent (Belgium)

Hisham Ahmed, St. Mary’s College of California

Iain Atack, University of Dublin

Iain Chalmers, Coordinator ; James Lind Initiative

Ilan Pappe, University of Exeter

Jackelyn Mariano, Co-chair, National Lawyers Guild International Committee

James Abourezk, Former U.S. Senator, founder, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee (ADC)

James Bowen, UCC – National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland

James Early, Director of Cultural Heritage Policy at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution

Jeff Halper, ICAHD founder, Member of the One Democratic State Campaign (ODSC) Coordinating Committee

Jenny Tonge, Baroness Tonge, Member of the House of Lords

Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for President, 2016

Joe Catron, U.S. Coordinator, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network ; New York City Democratic Socialists of America Anti-War Working Group

Joe Lauria, Editor in Chief, Consortiumnews

Joe Lombardo, Founding member of United National Antiwar Coalition,

Joe Meadors, US military veteran, USS Liberty

John Adams, Prof. Emeritus, Film & Screen Media Practice, Bristol University, UK

John Erickson, former Executive Director, Friends of Sabeel North America

Jonathan Cook, Journalist and author

Jonathan Rosenhead, Emeritus Professor of Operational Research, London School of Economics

Judith Bello, Member United National Antiwar Coalition Administrative Committee, Administrator UNAC Blog

Judit Druks, University College of London

Jules Townshend, Manchester Metropolitan University

Katie Miranda, Jewelry designer and artist, Katie Miranda Studios

Khalil Barhoum, Senior Lecturer. African and Middle Eastern Languages, Stanford University

Lamis Deek, human rights attorney, Global Justice Human Rights Law

Lara Kiswani, Executive Director, Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC)

Laura U. Marks, Visiting professor, Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University

Liana M. Allabadi, Arab American University of Palestine

Lisa Rofel, University of California, Santa Cruz

Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

Marilyn Levin, co-founder, United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)

Marina Carter, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland

Marina Rui, University of Genova

Marjorie Cohn , Professor Emerita, Thomas Jefferson School of Law., former president National Lawyers Guild

Mark Braverman, Executive Director, Kairos USA, Research Fellow in Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology, Stellenbosch University

Martin Kemp, Psychoanalyst, UK

Max Blumenthal, journalist and author

Medea Benjamin, Co-founder of CodePink and author

Meron Rapoport, Israeli journalist

Michael Chanan, University of Roehampton, London

Michael Edwards, Bartlett School, UCL, London, England

Michel Chossudovsky, President and director, Centre for Research on Globalization

Miriam Levin, UK government official

Miriam Margolyes, Actress and voice artist

Mnar Muhawesh, Publisher, Mint Press News

Mohammed Alatar, Film writer and director, “The Iron Wall” and more.

Mona Baker, Professor Emerita of Translation Studies , University of Manchester

Moshé Machover, King’s College London and University of London (retired)

Nadje Al-Ali, Chair, Centre for Gender Studies , University of London, UK

Naomi Foyle, Novelist and poet

Nathalie Grima, Author

Netfa Freeman, Analyst and Events Coordinator for the Institute for Policy Studies

Nira Yuval-Davis-Davis, Prof. Emeritus & Honorary Director, Research Centre on Migration, Refugees and Belonging, University of East London UK

Noam Chomsky, Emeritus professor of linguistics, MIT

Norman Solomon , Executive Director, Institute for Public Accuracy

Ofra Lythe, Israeli writer and activist ; Author, “Politically Incorrect : Why a Jewish State is a Bad Idea”

Oren Cohen, Israeli journalist

Paul Larudee, Former Fulbright Lecturer and govt advisor

Paola Manduca, University of Genoa, Italy

Peter Ford, former UK ambassador to Syria and Bahrain

Peter Phillips, Sonoma State University ; former director, Project Censored

Philip Giraldi, Executive Director, Council for the National Interest

Philip Weiss, Publisher, Mondoweiss

Rachel Giora, Tel Aviv University

Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies, Columbia University

Richard Falk, Professor of International Law Emeritus, Princeton University

Richard Hudson, FBA at UCL, London

Richard Silverstein, Tikkun Olam

Rick Sterling, investigative journalist

Robert Trivers, President, Biosocial Research Foundation

Ronit Lentin, Trinity College Dublin

Rumy Hasan, Senior Lecturer, Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK.

Sabah Al-Mukhtar, President, Arab Lawyers Association (UK)

Sai Englert, SOAS, University of London

Sam Husseini Independent journalist, senior analyst at Institute for Public Accuracy

Sami Awad, Executive Director, Holy Land Trust

Sami Ramadani, Academic

Sharmine Narwani, Analyst and commentator

Shir Hever, independent economic researcher and journalist

Shohini Chaudhuri, Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, University of
Essex, UK

Snehal Shingavi, Associate Professor, English, University of Texas at Austin

Stefania Fortuna, UNIVPM, Italy

Stephen Deutsch, Professor of Post-Production, Faculty of Media and Communication, Bournemouth University, UK

Swee Ang, MD ; co-founder, Medical Aid for Palestinians

Tariq Ali, Writer and public intellectual

Ted Honderich , Grote Professor Emeritus Philosophy of Mind and Logic, University College London

Terri Ginsberg, The American University at Cairo

Thomas Gumbleton, Retired Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Tim Anderson, University of Sydney

Tom Hickey, Principal Lecturer in Philosophy and Critical Theory, University of Brighton, UK

Valerio Gennaro, UO Clinical Epidemiology IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy

William “Jimbo” Simmons, American Indian Movement – West

William I. Robinson, Univ of California, Santa Barbara

Zahra Billoo, Co-founder, CAIR

Zuhair Sabbagh, Palestinian academic and researcher