UMass Amherst holds pro-Palestine event branded anti-Semitic

An event claiming pro-Palestinian views are silenced went ahead at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst after a judge denied an injunction request that claimed the event was anti-Semitic.

The event, “Not Backing Down: Israel, Free Speech, and the Battle for Palestinian Human Rights,” was organized by the Media Education Foundation, a group based in Northampton, Massachusetts, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported, and Jewish Voice for Peace, which supports boycotts of Israel, helped successfully defend the event in court.

Panelists included Linda Sarsour, a leader of the Women’s March and a leading pro-Palestinian activist; Roger Waters, the Pink Floyd rocker who has become a leader in the boycott Israel movement; and Marc Lamont Hill, whom CNN fired last year after he used a phrase calling for Palestinian rights “from the river to the sea,” which has been associated with groups that seek to eliminate Israel.

Judge Robert Ullmann, a state judge, said an injunction sought by three Jewish students who remained anonymous would violate the First Amendment.

Screen capture from video of British musician Roger Water speaks at an event titled ‘Not Backing Down: Israel, Free Speech, and the Battle for Palestinian Human Rights’ held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, May 4, 2019. (Twitter)

Karen Hurvitz, the attorney who represented the Jewish students, said she was disappointed in the verdict, the Gazette reported, adding that Jewish students could file complaints with the state if they heard anti-Semitic remarks at the event, which was held Saturday.