Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of any democratic society and is especially important at universities. When it comes to events related to Israel however, attempts are often made to halt this freedom. This has been pushed by those who hold opposing views, leading to those in positions of authority, such as Students’ Unions (SU) and campus security, to place restrictions on events. Security and safety are often cited as the driving factor behind these restrictions, but is that all there is to the story?

As President of the Israel Society at the London School of Economics, I aim to organise events that promote education and dialogue about Israel. I have brought speakers from across the world to campus to share their unique stories, experiences and perspectives with students. Even after the already difficult task of bringing the speakers to London, finding a date and time, as well as a venue, I have found myself required to navigate significantly more obstacles than any other student society at my university.

Last year, I organised an event bringing Jewish Mizrachi activist Adiel Cohen to campus to share his family’s story of fleeing Yemen and moving to Israel. I submitted all required SU forms well in advance, yet over the following month I was repeatedly questioned about his military service, travel arrangements, and previous UK visits.

Although the event was eventually approved after an additional meeting with the SU, campus security, and senior management, it came with significant amendments. Despite requesting an academic chair, needed to allow external attendees, the SU restricted attendance to internal participants only while still requiring one. After three months of planning, approval to advertise was only granted on the Thursday before a Monday event, leaving just four days to promote it, two of which were over the weekend.

A separate event on how to navigate difficult conversations about Israel on campus was also forced to change venue and be shortened due to security concerns, leaving little time for discussion. Ironically, an event centred on freedom of speech was itself restricted out of fear of disruption.

In both these examples, and many others across campuses, events that aim to speak about Israeli culture and history, or any event which dares to go against........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)