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Today’s Top BDS Stories:
1. Sir Gerald Ronson comes out strong against Roger Waters, alluding to Waters’ anti-Semitism during a public function.
“You may remember Roger Waters from the rock band Pink Floyd,” he said. “Nowadays, at his concerts, he has a giant inflatable pig with a huge Star of David scrawled across it.”
To scornful laughter from his audience, he added: “But, he insists that he is only anti-Israel, and is not, of course, anti-Semitic.” Sir Gerald was referring to an inflatable pig, stamped with the Star of David, that Waters, a vociferous champion of Palestine, floated during a concert in Brussels last year.
2. Scarlett Johansson tells the Telegraph that her support for SodaStream was largely motivated by concern for the environment but also believes that closing the West Bank factory is a bad idea. “This factory is one he inherited, and that he doesn’t want to fire people – the majority of those people being Palestinian.”
3. Show support for Neil Young as he faces a huge barrage of pressure from the BDS to cancel his show in Israel. The ‘I support Neil Young Against the Haters‘ Facebook page is up to nearly 3,000 members.
More BDS Stories:
* The Washington Post editorial board slammed legislation in Maryland barring public funds for state universities that participate in boycotts of Israel.
As misguided as the boycott is — impeding the free flow of ideas should be antithetical to halls of learning — it is an expression of a belief and those who support it should not be subject to government coercion.
The editorial shows that the backlash to the ASA continues, but pushing a legislative solution to academic boycott risks ceding the moral high ground on free expression back to the ASA.
Meanwhile, William Jacobson of Legal Insurrection writes that the backlash against people like Judith Butler, a leading proponent of BDS who recently complained about “censorship and intimidation” against boycotters, was a product of their own efforts.
That’s one of the problems with academic boycotts — they are easy to start, but hard to contain. If Butler can boycott Israeli academics, then why can’t pro-Israel academics, students and supporters boycott Butler?
The inevitability of a counter-boycott, including legislation, was easily forseeable. That was one of the reasons so many university presidents — over 250 so far — came out against the ASA anti-Israel academic boycott.
* Sources claim the BDS has cost Israel some $30 million in losses, mostly to agricultural farmers in the Jordan Valley. While that’s not going to cripple the Israeli economy, it shows that there is some, marginal economic effect alongside the propaganda war.
* Legal Insurrection reports that Israel Apartheid Week turn-out was much weaker than expected, even in the UK, where BDS is strong.
When we set out to monitor events at Legal Insurrection, we expected an avalanche. But it never showed up. There were events, but none seemed to have much energy or attendance.
We’re just starting the “Israeli Apartheid week” in Europe too, but even in Sussex, England, only 8 people showed up to the BDS march.
See Thursday’s Fighting BDS Roundup.
