Jewish students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say a “blockade” by hostile anti-Israel students prevented them from attending classes, and they fear the school “is not safe for Jews.”
An open letter written by the MIT Israel Alliance alleges that Jewish and Israeli students were “physically” blocked from accessing classrooms by a “hostile” pro-Palestinian group called the Coalition Against Apartheid (CAA).
“This is because CAA students harassed MIT staff members in their offices for being Jewish and disrupted classes in recent weeks,” the letter said.
“Many Jewish students are afraid to leave their dormitories and have stated that they feel that MIT is not safe for Jews,” the letter continues.
“This message is compounded by Hillel’s public and private warnings. [the school’s graduate Jewish community] and many professors that Jewish students should not enter the main lobby of MIT today.”
Four hours after the CAA protest began, the administration told students to leave the lobby and threatened them with suspension, but only Jewish students who were there to counter-protest left, according to the group.
The MIT Israel Alliance says Jewish students live in fear on the university’s campus. Corbis via Getty Images
“Indeed, the CAA proceeded to invite more non-MIT students and protesters to join them in calling for a violent uprising (“Intifada”) and justifying Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians,” the alliance said.
An hour later, all students received an emergency notification telling them to avoid the area, “officially acknowledging the danger present to students as a result of this violent protest.”
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“The responsibility for protecting Jewish students should not fall on the students themselves,” the organization said.
“The CAA organized a blockade that not only ignores MIT guidelines, but also prevents Jewish students from attending classes,” the letter said.
The MIT Israel Alliance noted that the CAA protest took place on the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, an infamous pogrom committed against Jews throughout Nazi Germany in 1938, considered a prelude to the Holocaust.
A protester holds a sign that reads “Jews for a Free Palestine” at a rally supporting Palestine at MIT last month. AFP via Getty Images
“We are seeing history repeat itself and Jews on the MIT campus are afraid,” the letter concludes.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth said in a statement that those students who remained in Hall 7 after being told to leave will be disciplined but will still be able to attend classes.
“Because we later heard serious concerns about collateral consequences for students, such as visa issues, we have decided, as an interim action, that students who overstayed their welcome will be suspended from non-academic campus activities.” Kornbluth said.
“Students will remain enrolled at MIT and will be able to attend academic classes and laboratories. “We will forward this interim action to the Ad Hoc Complaint Response Team, which includes the chair of the Disciplinary Committee, for final decision,” he continued.
“As I have stated many times, MIT strongly supports the right to free expression for everyone at MIT. However, as the MIT Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom makes clear, ‘the time, place, and form of protected expression, including organized protests, may be restricted so as not to disrupt the essential activities of the Institute,’” Kornbluth . aggregate.
The Post contacted MIT for comment on the incident.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn