Antisemitic graffiti at UC Berkeley
Pictured here is a poster which was featured on the UC Berkeley campus. This poster, and many others, were recently defaced with anti-Semitic words and symbols. The Chancellor of the university sent a message out to the entire university, condemning the hate speech, which can be found below. It is important to have strong university chancellor who is willing to denounce hate speech. At many college campuses, chancellors and university presidents have remained deafeningly silent on these issues.
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Dear Campus Community:
Last week, posters at a bus stop in front of Eshleman Hall promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace were defaced with signs equating the Star of David with a swastika. Although this hateful act of vandalism was not on campus property and may not have been perpetrated by our members, it is an act deeply hurtful to our Jewish students, and other members of the Jewish community who may have seen it, in this very busy student precinct. As a university community that does not condone any acts of intolerance or hate,we must speak out against this anti-Semitic obscenity. Deplorable acts of hate are the antithesis of a university community. As a center of higher learning we must stand in opposition to such acts and strive to promote climate of understanding and acceptance for all groups on campus.
I believe that this is an opportune moment to remind the campus about our Principles of Community. The University has a unique role in society in guarding the principles of freedom of inquiry and free speech. These principles have been won over the centuries in the face of numerous attempts to thwart them. Academic freedom and freedom of speech are among the most important values held by the American university system and must be vigorously defended. Of necessity, this means that there must be freedom to examine, discuss, debate and communicate controversial issues.
A vibrant academic community supports open and honest dialogue in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Our discourse must be both open and civil. Academic freedom must always be accompanied by academic responsibility. As an institution of higher learning, we have a responsibility to promote constructive dialogue that does not foster a climate of intolerance or give license to prejudice. By fostering discussion in a reasoned, civil and respectful exchange of views among all members of our community, we can
contribute to the emergence of understanding and solutions to important challenges facing our world today.
We have an obligation to give our students the broadest range of learning opportunities as they prepare to understand and engage in an increasingly heterogeneous and global community. I call on all of us to join together against cowardly acts of hatred and reflect the ideal of that global community here on our campus.
I encourage each of you to review our Principles of Community at
http://www.berkeley.edu/about/principles.shtml
Yours sincerely,
Robert J. Birgeneau