An event called "Breaking Bars: Fighting Incarceration from the US to Palestine" is hosted at Barnard College's Diana Center Room 504 on August 2, 2018 7-9PM by outside groups Release Aging People in Prison - RAPP and the New York City chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace. The event is also promoted on Facebook.
The event is also co-sponsored by Barnard Center for Research on Women.
The event gives platform to Addameer, which, according to NGO Monitor, is an organization affiliated with PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine). The United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the European Union have designated the PFLP as a terrorist organization.
It is scary to us as Jews, Israelis and pro-Israel students to know that an undergraduate college within our university allows a recognized terror organization whose goal is to destroy our people’s country to speak on our campus. We feel that in providing this group with a platform to speak, Columbia not only allows but also propagates anti-Semitism on its own campus. We are calling for an end to this propagation and encourage the administration to take a stand in protecting ALL of its students.
-- Quote from the SSI statement
It is shameful that Barnard College gives platform to the affiliates and representatives of the designated terrorist organization whose stated goal is the destruction of Israel. Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at Columbia University "are calling for an end to this propagation [of anti-Semitism] and encourage the administration to take a stand in protecting ALL of its students" (see the full statement).
After a difficult past semester at Barnard for pro-Israel students, it is dismaying to see the College further used to discomfort members of its community. Aryeh condemns this usage of shared Barnard student space to host an organization with such strong links to terror.
-- Quote from the Aryeh statement
Aryeh, another pro-Israel student group at Columbia University, joins SSI in condeming this event (see the full statement).
The Lawfare Project video
Please also note that hosting a PFLP affiliated group may be illegal under the US law as it potentially provides material help to a designated terrorist organization.
A protest rally is organized for 6PM tonight at Barnard College. The link to the event is here.
CALL TO ACTION
We are calling on everyone concerned to do the following.
Contact Barnard College president Beilock's office to express dismay and concern (for email you may want to use Barnard Email Address Collection; just select, cut and paste into your email "To", "Cc" or "Bcc" field).
Go to the event, record it if possible and protest having an organization with terrorist ties present at Barnard College. The event appears to be open to the public free of charge. Register for it here.
Read more about it:
"Terror Org PFLP Masquerading as Human Rights Org: Part One" by Aussie Dave, IsraellyCool, July 31, 2018
"Barnard College to Host Prisoners’ Group Accused of Ties With Palestinian Terrorists" by Shiri Moshe, The Algemeiner, August 1, 2018
Sample letter to Barnard President Siam Beilock and other Barnard College Officials
Dear President Beilock, and other Barnard College officials,
I am dismayed that Barnard College is planning to give a platform to the August 2nd event featuring Addameer, a known affiliate of PFLP (Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine), which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, Canada, Japan and Israel. Please see this link for all the details.
PFLP purposefully attacks civilians and spreads its anti-Israel propaganda through organizations like Addameer that cynically uses human rights rhetoric to indoctrinate those who do not know better.
Columbia organizations representing Jewish and pro-Israel students such as Aryeh and Students Supporting Israel (SSI) have issues statements condemning this event and expressing their anxiety about their college that gives platform to terrorists on campus.
As a Columbia University alumnus I call on you to ensure that terrorists do not leverage the prestige of Barnard College as a liberal institution to mislead the public and to give credence to their propaganda.
Please advise what is the Barnard's position regarding hosting affiliates of terrorist organizations.
Sincerely,